The San Diego Padres were one of three finalists for Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese phenom who ultimately and perhaps unsurprisingly chose the Los Angeles Dodgers as his final destination.
It’s tough to argue against the Dodgers, as they offer Sasaki the chance at fame and fortune, all the while building the ultimate winner. Los Angeles won the World Series just last season, after all, and have one of the better prospect and pitcher development staffs in MLB. That is what Sasaki valued.
The Padres hopes rested on the shoulders on Darvish, who is good friends with Sasaki and considered his mentor by many in the Japanese baseball community. Darvish tried his best to let Sasaki make his own decision, in part because that is what agent Joel Wolfe asked for. Meanwhile, Sasaki went to dinner with Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and their Dodgers teammates for an in-person pitch.
Yu Darvish wants some answers from Roki Sasaki and the Dodgers
If I were Darvish, I’d want some answers. To pick the Dodgers over the Padres is one thing and, frankly, a pretty easy position to take right about now. But to potentially mislead Darvish and force the Padres to play by a different set of rules is a little sketchy.
“I think we did everything we could. I think we gave him a wonderful welcome as a team. It was his decision, so I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it,” Darvish said per Yahoo. “I don’t know until I ask Sasaki. I can’t say. I don’t have any opinion on that.”
Sasaki did call Darvish when he made up his mind, but Yu apparently didn’t get much of an explanation in that moment. Now, the two friends will be rivals on the field.
The Padres ownership situation did not help them with Sasaki, who was looking for organizational stability rather than lawsuits left and right. Peter Seidler’s death could have huge ramifications for the San Diego franchise, and that goes well beyond losing Sasaki, who was ironically mentioned in said lawsuit.
The Padres and Dodgers remain two of the premiere teams in the National League. San Diego was the only team to push LA to the brink last postseason, as they held a 2-1 lead in the NLDS before losing both of the next two games. To reach that apex again will be easier said than done. The Dodgers are better than ever before.
