{"id":18075,"date":"2025-01-10T07:39:59","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T07:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075"},"modified":"2025-01-10T07:39:59","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T07:39:59","slug":"dodgers-suddenly-become-clear-cut-favorites-for-roki-sasaki-amid-padres-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers suddenly become &#8216;clear-cut favorites&#8217; for Roki Sasaki amid Padres drama"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mb-0 md:mx-10 md:mb-9 relative\">\n<figure>\n<div class=\"overflow-hidden bg-lightGrey\"><picture><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full\" title=\"World Baseball Classic Semifinals: Mexico v Japan\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_48,w_7890,h_4438\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/75\/01jh0wvq76c7ces740sz.jpg\" alt=\"World Baseball Classic Semifinals: Mexico v Japan\" width=\"7890\" height=\"4438\" data-uw-rm-alt-original=\"World Baseball Classic Semifinals: Mexico v Japan\" data-uw-rm-alt=\"ALT\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"ml-1 pb-2 mt-4 md:m-3 text-darkGrey font-group-tiny\">World Baseball Classic Semifinals: Mexico v Japan | Eric Espada\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex flex-wrap\">\n<div class=\"flex mr-4 lg:w-[calc(70%-3em)]\">\n<div class=\"hidden md:block mx-4\" data-testid=\"share-menu\">\n<div class=\"sticky top-20 mb-3\" data-testid=\"share-menu-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><main><\/p>\n<div class=\"viewablity-block\">\n<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">We&#8217;re just about a week away from the opening of the 2025 international signing period, but the all of the hundreds of prospects up for grabs will take a back seat to the hype around Roki Sasaki.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Sasaki was posted during Winter Meetings but couldn&#8217;t sign between Dec. 15 and Jan. 15, and his posting window closes on Jan. 23. He returned to Japan over the holidays to consider his options after conducting\u00a0in-person meetings with at least seven teams\u00a0and receiving pitches from 20 total.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inarticle_d_1_4\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Sasaki has the\u00a0<em>potential<\/em>\u00a0to completely shock the baseball world by going to a small market team with a large amount of bonus pool money, but the Dodgers still have multiple legs up here. Their only real competition seems to be the Padres, and the situation in San Diego is looking dicey lately.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">On Monday,\u00a0Padres co-owner Sheel Seidler, wife of the late Peter Seidler, sued her fellow owners\u00a0and brothers-in-law Matthew and Robert for full control of the franchise.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">The Padres still have yet to spend a single cent in free agency this offseason or make a notable trade, and a detail buried in Seidler&#8217;s full complaint even alludes to Matthew&#8217;s desire to relocate the team. Whatever&#8217;s in store here is sure to cause a mess from top to bottom, and that may not be a mess that Sasaki will be willing to wade into.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">On\u00a0<em>The Incline<\/em>,\u00a0Pat Ragazzo characterized the Dodgers as the &#8220;clear-cut favorites&#8221; to get Sasaki, and he cited the new litigation as a major cause for concern with San Diego.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1876344255351783893&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fdodgersway.com%2Fdodgers-suddenly-become-clear-cut-favorites-for-roki-sasaki-amid-padres-drama&amp;sessionId=95071434e55f2f846659a2c90e09f46942aa6518&amp;siteScreenName=DodgersWayFS&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1876344255351783893\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"scroll-mt-24 my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Padres ownership drama could be a death knell in Roki Sasaki chase vs. Dodgers<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Sasaki seems to be keeping a tight hold on the reins of his free agency and does seem to be considering all of his options. The teams he&#8217;s reportedly held in-person meetings with include the\u00a0Dodgers, Padres, Yankees, Mets, Cubs, Rangers, and Giants, and even the White Sox have sent him information and requested a meeting. Arguments against his chances of signing in LA have also been rife, but they&#8217;re still constantly mentioned as favorites.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Agent Joel Wolfe has said that he doesn&#8217;t expect Sasaki to sign immediately on Jan. 15, but news has to come down soon after. In any communication he continues to have with the Padres, one must imagine that AJ Preller will try to downplay any strife from the current ownership situation, but the news doesn&#8217;t pair well with the fact that the Padres have been completely quiet on the markets and have doled out multiple contracts in years prior that won&#8217;t age well. It definitely makes the Dodgers&#8217; chances look all the better.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>World Baseball Classic Semifinals: Mexico v Japan | Eric Espada\/GettyImages We&#8217;re just about a week away from the opening of the 2025 international signing period, but the&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dodgers suddenly become &#039;clear-cut favorites&#039; for Roki Sasaki amid Padres drama - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dodgers suddenly become &#039;clear-cut favorites&#039; for Roki Sasaki amid Padres drama - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"World Baseball Classic Semifinals: Mexico v Japan | Eric Espada\/GettyImages We&#8217;re just about a week away from the opening of the 2025 international signing period, but the...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-10T07:39:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01jh0wvq76c7ces740sz.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"405\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075\",\"name\":\"Dodgers suddenly become 'clear-cut favorites' for Roki Sasaki amid Padres drama - 24\/7 News America\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01jh0wvq76c7ces740sz.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-10T07:39:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-10T07:39:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01jh0wvq76c7ces740sz.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01jh0wvq76c7ces740sz.jpg\",\"width\":720,\"height\":405},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Dodgers suddenly become &#8216;clear-cut favorites&#8217; for Roki Sasaki amid Padres drama\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"24\/7 News America\",\"description\":\"Breaking Stories, Real Insights&quot;\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\",\"name\":\"Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dodgers suddenly become 'clear-cut favorites' for Roki Sasaki amid Padres drama - 24\/7 News America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dodgers suddenly become 'clear-cut favorites' for Roki Sasaki amid Padres drama - 24\/7 News America","og_description":"World Baseball Classic Semifinals: Mexico v Japan | Eric Espada\/GettyImages We&#8217;re just about a week away from the opening of the 2025 international signing period, but the...","og_url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075","og_site_name":"24\/7 News America","article_published_time":"2025-01-10T07:39:59+00:00","og_image":[{"width":720,"height":405,"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01jh0wvq76c7ces740sz.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075","name":"Dodgers suddenly become 'clear-cut favorites' for Roki Sasaki amid Padres drama - 24\/7 News America","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01jh0wvq76c7ces740sz.jpg","datePublished":"2025-01-10T07:39:59+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-10T07:39:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01jh0wvq76c7ces740sz.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/01jh0wvq76c7ces740sz.jpg","width":720,"height":405},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18075#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dodgers suddenly become &#8216;clear-cut favorites&#8217; for Roki Sasaki amid Padres drama"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/","name":"24\/7 News America","description":"Breaking Stories, Real Insights&quot;","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914","name":"Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Admin"},"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18075"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18082,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18075\/revisions\/18082"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}