The details of San Diego’s second meeting with the right-hander were revealed in a report from The Athletic.
“The Padres’ welcoming party included Darvish and Manny Machado, two veterans who took the lead in hosting Sasaki. Also present were Joe Musgrove, Jackson Merrill and Ethan Salas, a teenage prospect the Padres billed as their catcher of the not-so-distant future. Sasaki toured Petco Park and threw on the field — thus staying on his throwing schedule — while experiencing the temperate conditions that appeal to so many players.”
By Wednesday, as Sasaki was actively considering his options, the start of baseball’s international signing period gave teams one last chance to secure additional bonus money to lure the Japanese star.
Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe advised the remaining teams to prepare for various scenarios, including working out deals with other organizations to acquire extra international bonus pool space if needed. For some clubs, the pursuit stretched right up until Sasaki revealed his decision on Instagram.
“The Padres told Sasaki’s group that they were prepared to trade to max out their bonus pool, according to a league source, and offer the Japanese pitcher the entire sum, a little more than $10 million,” according to The Athletic. “The Dodgers lined up a potential deal that was ready to go should Sasaki sign, sending 2023 fourth-round pick Dylan Campbell to the Philadelphia Phillies for bonus space. They’d later get more space from the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Arnaldo Lantigua.”
Sasaki was the Padres’ top priority this winter, and now, they are forced to pivot to Plan B.
San Diego needs to shore up their rotation that will be missing Joe Musgrove and only has three starters as of now – Dylan Cease, Yu Darvish and Michael King.
The Padres also need to re-sign outfielder Jurickson Profar and solidify their infield. Will Xander Bogaerts be the starting shortstop? Will Luis Arraez play first base? What about Jake Cronenworth?
Despite losing out on the Sasaki sweepstakes, the Padres are proud of the work they put in to recruiting him.
“Really proud of the group,” Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said Friday night of San Diego’s recruiting of Sasaki, via Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. “Really thorough and complete job.”
“At the end of the day, we want players that want to be here. We’ll move forward and look to add to a really talented roster.”