Reds HOFer offers compelling case for Roki Sasaki to sign with Blue Jays

The race to sign Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki has reportedly come down to three teams; the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays have been linked with several high-profile names in the offseason over the last few years but failed to land their target, with Shohei Ohtani being the most remarkable free agent who snubbed them.

According to reports, Roki Sasaki's camp met with the Blue Jays officials last week and the Japanese pitcher has included them as one of his preferred destinations.

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Sean Casey made a compelling case for the Japanese ace's potential move to the Blue Jays on his "The Mayor's Office with Sean Casey podcast," saying (8:30 onwards):

"At the end of the day you do need some star power there in Toronto. I think the big selling point is they have some of the best facilities in the world. Best Spring Training facility in all of baseball. They just redid the clubhouse. So if you're coming there and you're Roki Sasaki, you're going, 'wow, this is next level, you know what they have?' And then you're playing for a country, dude, you want to play for a country.

"Everyone that's in Canada, loves the Toronto Blue Jays so you know that's star power, International power. Sasaki has a chance to be a star in the big leagues. And the selling point is we have some of the best facilities here, we have a great culture here and at the end of the day you can be a star here in Toronto."

Blue Jays, Padres & Dodgers among three potential destinations for Roki Sasaki

Roki Sasaki's free agency has attracted interest from several MLB teams over the last few weeks but the Japanese sensation reportedly narrowed down his preferred team to the Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays on Monday.

Sasaki met with eight teams after being posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines on December 9. However, the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants, and Chicago area are no longer in contention to sign the 23-year-old.

Several reports have indicated that a decision on Sasaki's next team could be made this week as the 2025 international amateur signing period begins on Wednesday.