MLB Power Rankings: Roki Sasaki's likeliest destinations among teams he hasn't already rejected

With Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, and Max Fried off the market, all eyes have turned to Roki Sasaki, especially with his signing period rapidly approaching. Sasaki can sign as soon as Wednesday, Jan. 15, and must sign by Thursday, Jan. 23. If the right-hander doesn't make his decision this week, it will happen next week.

Virtually every team expressed interest in signing the 23-year-old mainly because he cannot sign anything more than a minor league contract with international bonus money. Instead of signing a deal similar to the one Yoshinobu Yamamoto did last offseason, Sasaki must settle for one similar to the deal Shohei Ohtani inked with the Los Angeles Angels back in the day.

While the list of suitors interested in Sasaki was lengthy, he did not entertain the thought of signing with every interested team. Now, with his signing period just a couple of days away, he has begun eliminating some teams he was considering from consideration.

News broke on Monday that the San Francisco Giants are no longer in the running. Soon after, the New York Yankees were eliminated from consideration. It was then reported that the New York Mets don't believe they're in it anymore. Five teams were linked to Sasaki in the latest piece from Dennis Lin, Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic ($). Here's how they (other than the recently eliminated Texas Rangers), and one other known suitor, rank among the likeliest Sasaki destinations from least likely to most likely.

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5) The Blue Jays will likely miss out on yet another high-end free agent

The Toronto Blue Jays have missed out on countless free agents over the last couple of offseasons, so Monday's report saying that he had an in-person meeting with the franchise meant little to a frustrated fan base. At this point, Jays fans want Ross Atkins to close a deal and not be mentioned with anyone who chooses to sign elsewhere.

The Jays have some stuff to offer Sasaki, notably being the face of an entire country alongside (hopefully) Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but there's little else going for them.

Their pitching development has been far from stellar. Their team, in general, right now is not very good. Their farm system is among the worst in the game. Their division is as tough as any. It's not as if they can outbid the field financially, either.

On one hand, it's a small win for the Blue Jays to get an in-person meeting with Sasaki when they can't be used for monetary reasons. On the other hand, though, it's extremely unlikely they actually land him.

4) Roki Sasaki should consider the Mariners more than he likely will

If I were Roki Sasaki, I would seriously consider the Seattle Mariners. Not only have they done well with Japanese players in the past, but their pitching development is as good as it gets around the game.

Seattle's rotation is one of, if not the best, in the sport. Four of the five starters in their rotation are homegrown, with Luis Castillo being the lone exception. If what Sasaki is looking for is to be the best player he possibly can, the Mariners might give him the best chance of doing so. He'd get to work with a team known for pitching development in a pitcher-friendly ballpark and in a subpar division.

Unfortunately, it's hard to envision Sasaki ending up with the Mariners at the end of the day. Their roster outside of their rotation leaves a lot to be desired, and Seattle doesn't give him as much earning potential as other markets do.

3) The Cubs have one glaring issue in their Sasaki pitch, and it isn't even their fault

The Chicago Cubs have a lot to offer Roki Sasaki. They offer him the opportunity to pitch at Wrigley Field in front of packed crowds every night in one of the weakest divisions in the sport while playing with Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki. He'd have a chance to win just about every year in the NL Central and get to play with other Japanese players in a big market. Unfortunately, the Cubs are missing what could be the most important thing in their pitch.

The Cubs play in Chicago in the NL Central. They are on the West Coast where most Japanese players prefer to play. Based on the teams alive in the Sasaki sweepstakes, he certainly appears to prefer the West Coast. It isn't Chicago's fault that they aren't out west, but considering that clear fact, it's tough to see him landing there.

The Cubs would be clear NL Central favorites and sneaky contenders in a stacked National League if they were to land Sasaki. Unfortunately, considering the competition, it's tough to envision.

2) Roki Sasaki would help salvage an otherwise disappointing Padres offseason

The San Diego Padres have bounced back from their disappointing NLDS loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers by doing... nothing. The notoriously aggressive A.J. Preller has not made any substantial additions to this Padres roster and will likely lose Ha-Seong Kim, Jurickson Profar, and Tanner Scott based on how they've acted.

With that being said, signing Sasaki is the kind of move that'd help save their otherwise disappointing offseason. A rotation featuring Sasaki, Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Yu Darvish would be tough to beat in October, and would compliment their solid lineup nicely. The Padres have a lot going for them in the Sasaki hunt even with their rough offseason.

Sasaki is famously close with Darvish who is under contract through the 2028 campaign. He'd get to pitch half the time at Petco Park, a park known for favoring pitchers. He'd get to live out on the West Coast. Perhaps most notably, he'd get to go head-to-head against the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto every year. That'd be good for the competitor in him.

As intriguing as the Padres are, their arch-rivals loom.

1) The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes are looking like the Dodgers' to lose

It felt as if this was Los Angeles Dodgers or bust from the start, and it still feels that way. Why wouldn't Sasaki end up with the super team?

The reigning World Series champions have everything Sasaki could ever want. They've got Ohtani and Yamamoto, a great pitching coach in Mark Prior, a competitive roster that will try and win every year he's there, and the West Coast. What else is there?

If Sasaki was going to sign a massive contract, an argument could conceivably be made that the Dodgers don't want to pay yet another player superstar money (even though they were in on Juan Soto). With money not being a factor in this decision, and the Dodgers offering Sasaki the potential to earn more money than any of these teams with endorsements, again, why isn't it the Dodgers?

MLB fans hope for the sake of competitive balance he ends up elsewhere, but the Dodgers have been seen as favorites for a reason. Until they're ruled out. there's no reason to suggest he lands anywhere else.