As Roki Sasaki searched for his MLB home, the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays were deemed the finalists to procure his services. While not yet officially announced, the defending World Series champions appear poised to win again.

The Dodgers are nearing a deal to sign Sasaki, via MLB insider Mike Rodriguez. Furthermore, it would be a, “big surprise,” is Sasaki were to sign with the Blue Jays.

While the Padres were long deemed one of the favorites, they have been completely eliminated from the Sasaki sweepstakes, via baseball reporter Francys Romero. San Diego is deciding to pivot and sign two fellow international free agents in Jhoan De La Cruz and Carlos Alvarez.

But to the victor goes the spoils, and the Dodgers now seem in line to add one of the best pitchers available on the free agent market. Since he is an international free agent, he won't cost what Blake Snell did. Still, Sasaki will be a major difference maker in Los Angeles' rotation from the moment he arrives.

Over his four years in Nippon Professional Baseball, Sasaki put up a 29-15 record with a 2.02 ERA and a 524/91 K/BB ratio. He's coming off of a 2024 campaign that saw him register a 10-5 record, 2.35 ERA and a 129/32 K/BB ratio. Sasaki was a two-time NPB All-Star and set the record for most strikeouts in a game with 19.

The Dodgers already had talented pitchers in their rotation such as Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow. Even Shohei Ohtani is thinking about making a return to the mound. But with Roki Sasaki in tow, the Dodgers can be sure all of their bases are covered in the pitching department; barring another slew of injuries.

The Padres and Blue Jays will now have to regroup and re-plan out their offseason. They'll be able to spend elsewhere in international free agency. But Sasaki was the crown jewel, and he now seems likely to be donning Dodgers across his chest when he makes the MLB leap.