Blue Jays, planes and automobiles: Not even Ross Atkins deserves latest Roki Sasaki report

The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes is nearing its end. On Monday, a variety of teams have been informed that they are out of the running on the international free agent. The New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, and Mets have all been informed by Sasaki's camp that the pitcher is not signing with them.

This spelled good news for the Toronto Blue Jays, who recently hosted Sasaki on a visit last week. There were no updates regarding the meeting, but the fact that Sasaki flew out to Toronto does seem like good news. However, Blue Jays fans received a gut punch after this reporting.

According to The Athletic's Dennis Lin, Will Sammon, and Ken Rosenthal, the San Diego Padres hosted Sasaki this past weekend after the pitcher met with the Blue Jays.

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Padres host Roki Sasaki immediately after pitcher visits Blue Jays

The timing of Sasaki's visit is interesting, which will have Blue Jays fans nervous as he nears a decision. This is a team that fell short of some top-end talent in free agency recently, including Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto. The Blue Jays fanbase is looking for the team to add some big-name players, especially with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette entering the final years of their contracts.

Luckily for them, it appears a decision will be made way before the Jan. 23 deadline.

The Padres have long been considered a favorite to sign Sasaki, along with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. For the Padres, Sasaki will be considered a main piece of their rotation and not be hidden behind Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the Dodgers. Plus, the Padres have Yu Darvish, who has grown close to Sasaki after the two played for Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Recently, there is a public ownership battle between Peter Seidler's widow, Sheel, and the owner's two brothers, Matt and Bob. Even so, The Athletic says that there are some club officials that "remain optimistic about their chances of landing Sasaki."

We'll see who Sasaki ultimately decides to sign with. But it appears that the Blue Jays, Padres, and Dodgers remain in contention.