The Dodgers are viewed as the favorites to sign Sasaki. But based on his conversations with league sources, Jim Bowden doesn't agree.

For years, Seattle was regarded as a premier destination for Japanese players making the jump to Major League Baseball. The Mariners had strong ties across the Pacific: They had a longtime owner, Hiroshi Yamauchi,

CHIBA, Japan — Japanese ace Roki Sasaki will be available to Major League Baseball teams this offseason. The Chiba Lotte Marines announced Saturday they have chosen to start the process of moving the pitcher to a big league club in North America via the posting system.

A.J. Preller’s pursuit of Roki Sasaki, the standout prize of this offseason, may have unofficially started in the middle of the summer. On June 6, Padres pitcher Yu Darvish was placed on the restricted list to handle a personal family matter.

The Dodgers have sought to, in the words of manager Dave Roberts, “paint the country of Japan blue” through their leveraging of last winter’s Japanese signings, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They’ve fostered a strong relationship with Sasaki’s agent,

When it comes to value, no player the Padres will pursue this offseason matches Roki Sasaki. The Japanese ace and 2023 World Baseball Classic star stands as one of the sport’s best pitchers, yet he’ll cost mere pennies on the dollars relative to the likely returns he’ll generate.

Japanese starting pitcher Roki Sasaki is widely viewed as one of the best baseball players outside of the United States,

The Seattle Mariners will make an attempt to sign Chiba Lotte Marines pitcher Roki Sasaki when he is posted for free agency.