Dodgers avoid worst-case scenario in Roki Sasaki sweepstakes as rival gets stiff arm

With just two days to go until the start of this year's international free agent signing period and 10 days until his posting window closes, we're getting down to brass tacks in the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes. And after weeks of virtual presentations and in-person meetings, it seems like the Japanese righty has all the information he needs at his disposal and is ready to start making up his mind.

While we don't know exactly where Sasaki will be signing just yet, the 23-year-old has begun informing some finalists that he won't be signing with them. And the first rejection has to be particularly sweet for fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Roki Sasaki just the latest free-agent whiff for the Giants

The San Francisco Giants were among the teams that scored an in-person meeting with Sasaki late last month, and on paper at least, the team seemed to make a compelling case: West Coast locale, major airport with easy access back to Japan, pitcher-friendly park. Heck, Buster Posey even managed to hit on a couple big free agent targets this winter, a refreshing change of pace from the Farhan Zaidi era.

Alas, some old habits die hard. According to a report from Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants have been informed that they won't be the lucky team to land Sasaki.

Granted, this doesn't mean that the Dodgers are out of the woods yet. The righty just took a visit to San Diego last week, and the Padres loom as a very real threat to pull off a major coup and tilt the balance of power in the NL West. But any chance to score some points on a hated rival is a good one, and this is a useful reminder that, while Willy Adames and Justin Verlander are nice, L.A. is on another level entirely when it comes to attracting talent. If the Giants want to make this a real rivalry again, they have a whole lot of work to do.