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While the San Diego Padres returned to the playoffs in 2024, they were eliminated in the NLDS. Adding star free agent Roki Sasaki to their rotation would certainly help the Padres get over their postseason hump.
San Diego has been deemed one of the favorites to land Sasaki. Now that he has officially been posted, manager Mike Shildt is confident the Padres will be the one to win the free agency sweepstakes, via MLB Network Radio.
“We should be very legitimate contenders. We fully expect to be right in the mix and actually at the end of the day, have Sasaki a Padre. AJ [Preller] has done a tremendous job, the organization has done a tremendous job making sure we're relevant internationally. Our roster speaks to it. We're a multi-cultural club.”
“We've got a lot of in roads to Sasaki to make that happen,” Shildt continued. “I know we're going to put the full court press to make it happen. We're very optimistic.”
Shildt oozed confidence when speaking about San Diego's Sasaki prospects. He doted on the fact that the Padres have a diverse background on the diamond and in the front office. Yu Darvish is a leader on the pitching staff while Hideo Nomo is an advisor. The Padres will have plenty of competition, but Shildt knows the team is doing everything in their power to sign Sasaki.
For good reason based on the his performance in NPB. Over four seasons playing for the Chiba Lotte Mariners, Sasaki put up a 29-15 record with a 2.10 ERA and a 505/88 K/BB ratio. He is a tantalizing pitching talent and is set to turn MLB ablaze upon his arrival.
The Padres are hopeful Roki Sasaki is donning their jersey when he steps on the mound. Mike Shildt is a bit more than hopeful, in fact quite confident that the pitching star will end up in San Diego.
