"Yu Darvish disappointed Japanese players picking Shohei Ohtani over him" - NPB insider reveals Padres ace lobbied for Roki Sasaki's early MLB arrival

As the speculation around Japanese RHP Roki Sasaki's future team continues, one NPB insider revealed that Yu Darvish lobbied for the youngster to be posted in the MLB last year.

The two most likely landing spots for the 23-year-old are the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, which ultimately becomes a choice between Darvish and Shohei Ohtani.

On the popular podcast Baseball Bar-B-Cast, NPB expert Yuri Karasawa said that the Padres star even started a petition to get Sasaki posted in the MLB last year:

"In Japan, there's definitely some feeling that the Padres are on the table. Especially because he's so tight with Darvish. Yu Darvish is like a mentor to him."

"Darvish was the one that really helped him develop that slider of his further. Darvish has been really disappointed that a lot of Japanese players are picking Ohtani over him, which is understandable. But we'll see what happens."

Being posted to the MLB at the age of 23 means that Roki Sasaki is considered an international amateur free agent and can only sign a minor league contract. Hence, he doesn't qualify for a huge contract like Ohtani or Yamamoto last year, which makes him a steal for the team that lands him.

Last year, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Yuki Matsui were posted in the MLB from the NPB. Yamamoto joined Ohtani in L.A. while Matsui joined Darvish in San Diego. The Dodgers no doubt have the ability to attract any baseball player in the world, but Yuri Karasawa believes that Darvish could play a huge role in Sasaki's decision.

Roki Sasaki played alongside both Ohtani and Darvish for Japan but reportedly has a strong connection with the Padres star, who has always been a mentor to him.

Darvish even started a petition to get Sasaki posted in the MLB last year. The Dodgers have become the first choice for Japanese players since they landed Ohtani, so Yu will hope that he can sway the tide towards the San Diego Padres.

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Chicago Cubs star Shota Imanaga backs Roki Sasaki to be a huge success in the MLB

Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga was Roki Sasaki's teammate when Team Japan won the World Baseball Classic last year and knows the youngster pretty well. When asked about the young pitcher's imminent arrival to the MLB on "The Show", Imanaga said:

"He has a fastball that goes above 100 mph and a forkball with so much drop. It's hard to really see anybody else with those characteristics. So I think he's going to do well."

Imanaga himself made the move across the Pacific last and has already made the All-MLB Second Team in his debut season with the Cubs. It remains to be seen where Sasaki will land in the coming weeks.