MLB insider picks favorites to land Roki Sasaki among Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Padres, Cubs, Rangers

Japanese ace Roki Sasaki has set the buzz this offseason after news of being posted by his NPB team, Lotte Marines, went off. Unlike Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the 23-year-old is yet to be eligible for free agency, which means teams wanting to sign him must use their international pool money to sign him this offseason.

Thus, money won't be an issue in Sasaki's decision-making. But rather it would be where he wants to play. There are differences of opinion when it comes to analysts picking the best team for him.

MLB insider Jon Heyman also gave his two cents on which club he believes is the favorite to sign him.

"Roki Sasaki—I mean, you know, I understand the Yankees, the Mets, the Cubs, the Rangers, and some other teams have had meetings," Heyman said on his show. "I think all of them understand or believe that the likelihood is he ends up with the Dodgers or the Padres.

"But of course, you never know in these things. Certainly, it's not going to be about the money because you only have the international money to spend here. It's about him wanting to come here and picking a place that he's comfortable with."

Heyman went on to share that every team will have some selling point to attract Sasaki.

"I know the Mets can certainly sell their pitching development, the Yankees have their tradition, and the Cubs are basically a national team that's had successful Japanese players. Texas is also recently a world champion with successful Japanese players," Heyman added.

"But I do believe the favorites, and I’m leaning toward the teams here, are the Dodgers and the Padres."

What do the Padres and Dodgers have that makes them favorite to sign Roki Sasaki?

Both the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers have been a haven for Japanese players. Several have come here and established themselves.

The Dodgers have Roki Sasaki's countrymen Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed for at least a decade. Similarly, the Padres also have Japanese ace Yu Darvish, who could serve as the mentor for the young pitcher.

Both these clubs offer Sasaki a sense of home in a way most other clubs can't. As a newbie in one of the richest professional leagues in the world, one would need someone to look up to.