Early Roki Sasaki rumors prove the Dodgers aren't a shoe-in just yet

Any team would be lucky to land Roki Sasaki this offseason. Although it is still unclear if he will be posted to the MLB this year, many teams are preparing to enter the 'Sasaki sweepstakes'.

If he were to make the jump to the MLB this season, he would make a maximum of about $7.56 million per year with an $11 million signing bonus due to international bonus pool money allotments. He will have his pick of teams willing to use all of their international bonus poll allotment on him and most, if not all, teams will be willing to do this.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are viewed as the front runner to sign Sasaki if he is posted, but there are sill several other teams in the mix.

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The New York Mets and Chicago Cubs have 'heavily' scouted Roki Sasaki

While several teams have expressed interest in Sasaki, the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs have been among the most aggressive. David Stearns, the Mets' President of Baseball Operations, recently revealed that he traveled to Japan in September to personally scout Sasaki.

The Mets are not the only team sending top executives to Japan to see Sasaki. Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer made the trip in August with the hopes of getting Chicago on Sasaki's radar.

Both teams attempted to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto last season, but were out bid by the Dodgers. Without the bidding war, one of them might be able to sway Sasaki away from Los Angeles.

The San Diego Padres and New York Yankees would be good fits

While the San Diego Padres and New York Yankees have not publicly sent top executives to Japan to see Sasaki, he would be a good fit for both teams. The Padres are in search of another starting pitcher and with several key pieces departing, they do not have as much money to spend as they have in past seasons which makes him even more attractive.

The Yankees are not as desperate for starting pitching, but after coming up short in the World Series this year, they are looking for ways to stay competitive. Signing Sasaki would heavily bolster their starting rotation and give them the financial flexibility to be go after more top dollar free agents.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are still the 'Sasaki sweepstakes' front runner

Other teams can throw as many resources as they want at Sasaki, but the fact of the matter is that the Dodgers are the front runner. With the Dodgers, Sasaki has the opportunity to join the defending World Series champions who are poised to be competetive for years to come.

If that is not enough to convince him, the Dodgers already have his World Baseball Championship teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Dodgers are already seen as "Japan's team" and adding Sasaki will only further ingrain the Dodgers into Japanese culture.