The San Diego Padres could end up being dark horse candidates to acquire Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from the Toronto Blue Jays.

The National League is full of the biggest names and best talent in Major League Baseball but one league insider insists that the National League Most Valuable

According to multiple reports, the Padres are out on Sasaki and it's down to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.

Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki chose to sign with the Dodgers, he announced. That leaves the Padres to face an uncertain path in the months leading up to the 2025 season and to face the reality of their closest and most irksome rival going forward with yet another star player.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prized Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki says in an Instagram post he intends to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. A 23-year-old right-hander whose fastball tops 100 mph, Sasaki will join fellow Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a move many baseball executives have long expected.

While the Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays were battling it out for Roki Sasaki, the defending World Series champs seem to have won.

And then there were two. According to reports from The Athletic’s Will Sammon and Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com, the San Diego Padres appear to have dropped out of the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes, with the franchise pivoting to a pair of international prospects from the Dominican Republic,

Japanese star Roki Sasaki is joining the Los Angeles Dodgers following a frenzied Major League Baseball battle for the coveted pitcher’s signature. The 23-year-old confirmed on Friday that he would join up with compatriots and Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a brief statement on Instagram.

In San Diego, news that one-man Powerball ticket Roki Sasaki has decided to join the Dodgers was more than a gut punch. It was a steel-toed boot to the shin, a Clydesdale stomp to the foot, a right hook to the jaw. This hurt in all kinds of ways, big and bigger than big.

Roki Sasaki and Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani are more than familiar with each other. The two helped Team Japan win their third World Baseball Classic championship back in 2023.

The Padres based their entire offseason around landing Roki Sasaki. Instead, the Japanese pitching phenom chose to sign with the Dodgers.