After losing out on Roki Sasaki, Padres to begin two massive signings - Reports

The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes continue to inch to a climax, and the San Diego Padres are reportedly not part of the resolution. They are reportedly out on the Japanese superstar, which leaves just two teams still apparently in the running.

The Padres have been quiet all offseason, but they did land as a finalist for Sasaki. However, now that they're out of it, they've quickly pivoted to two other international free agents. International signing opened officially two days ago.

Roki Sasaki will not be a Padre (Imagn)

Per baseball reporter Francys Romero, the Padres are moving off of Sasaki and focusing on Jhoan De La Cruz and Carlos Alvarez. The signings are expected to be announced shortly.

Romero said:

"Hearing from multiple sources that the Padres are out in Roki Sasaki. They will begin their international signings of Jhoan De La Cruz and Carlos Alvarez in the next few hours."

The Padres are effectively bowing out, which means Sasaki is likely choosing between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. Neither De La Cruz nor Alvarez are quite on the same level as Sasaki in terms of international free agents, but they're not taking the snub lying down.

---

Padres considered making trades to clear room for Roki Sasaki

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres were briefly engaged in the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes. They've since fallen out, but when they were named among Sasaki's potential landing spots, they were looking into adding more bonus pool money to sign the Japanese pitcher.

According to MLB reporter Mark Feinsand, the Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers were both calling teams and looking into trades that would free up some more money that can be allocated to Sasaki.

He reported:

"According to sources, both the Dodgers and Padres have been calling teams with regard to trading for international bonus pool money with the hopes of bulking up the amount they can offer Roki Sasaki."

With one less contender for the pitcher, the Dodgers may not feel the need to do that anymore. However, they're still reportedly be battling with the Toronto Blue Jays, as Sasaki remains unsigned.