Latest Roki Sasaki update sure sounds like the worst-case scenario for MLB

Roki Sasaki and his team have gone through a lot of legwork over the past few weeks, but in the end it looks like the Japanese righty's free agency is going to wind up right where everyone assumed it would at the start: the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sure, he did more than his due diligence, extending in-person meetings to at least seven teams and taking multiple visits to cities from New York to Toronto to San Diego.

Right now, though, it sure feels like that was all just keeping up appearances. The 23-year-old has yet to make an official decision, but the tea leaves are all pointing toward L.A. First, word broke that the San Diego Padres had reached an agreement with one of their top international amateur signees, lefty Carlos Alvarez. The Padres had previously allowed Alvarez to pursue other opportunities as it hoarded bonus pool money for Sasaki; the fact that they consummated a deal sure suggests that they don't think he's coming to San Diego.

And sure enough, Alvarez wasn't the only signing the Padres made, with Francys Romero cited multiple sources claiming that San Diego was "out" of the Sasaki sweepstakes.

Of course, San Diego wasn't the only other finalist for Sasaki's services. But while there's still technically a chance that he shocks the baseball world and chooses the Toronto Blue Jays, come on — we all know where Sasaki's headed, we've known it for months if not longer, and should have the rest of the league hitting the panic button.

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All signs point to Roki Sasaki joining the Dodgers, prompting panic around the league

Again, it's worth reiterating that nothing is official yet. But smoke continues to build around Sasaki and the Dodgers being more or less a done deal.

Which, if it does come to pass, would cap yet another spectacular offseason for a team that just rode a loaded roster to a World Series title. Sasaki is by no means a perfect prospect; he has real workload concerns based on his frame and his lack of durability in Japan, and his stuff regressed a bit last season. He's sure to be tested by the best hitters in the world, and the Dodgers don't exactly have the best track record for keeping their pitchers healthy.

All that being said ... good luck to the rest of the league. The New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and even Arizona Diamondbacks have made big splashes in their own right this winter, but all of them began the offseason looking up at the Dodgers, and none of them can feel like they're significantly closer to catching L.A. now than they were in November. Los Angeles brought back Teoscar Hernandez and added smart pieces like Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim and veteran outfielder Michael Conforto. At this point, their lineup doesn't really have a glaring weakness, with a ton of flexibility and varied skill sets one through nine to go with the best top of the order in all of baseball.

If there is a hole remaining, it's the back-end of the bullpen, but it's not like the cupboard is totally bare with Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda and Ryan Brasier around. Plus, plenty of relief talent remains on the market, and if they do land Sasaki, they'll have so much starting pitching depth that they can always just move someone like Dustin May to the bullpen. This is an absurd collection of talent, the likes of which don't come around all that often, and while the baseball season is long and unpredictable, it's hard to imagine how the Dodgers won't be prohibitive favorites come next October.