We know one of the Padres needs is starting pitching so who’d be a better fit than Roki Sasaki—a talented 23-year-old who won’t cost $325 million? We can make this case all we want but it seems like we’re going to be waiting a little bit for his decision.
His NPB team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, announced this past Saturday they’d be posting him but we don’t know exactly when that’s going to happen. Once that occurs, there will be a 45-day window for Sasaki to sign with a MLB team.
Since he’s under 25 Sasaki must sign an amateur contract, which should make every team in the league want him (like Shohei Ohtani before he signed with Anaheim).