Shildt: Padres should be 'legitimate contenders' to sign Sasaki
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt thinks his club has a real chance to sign Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki.
"We should be very legitimate contenders," Shildt told MLB Network Radio on Monday. "We fully expect to be right in the mix, and actually at the end of the day have Sasaki a Padre."
The Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League officially posted Sasaki. MLB teams can negotiate with Sasaki until Jan. 23. The 23-year-old is expected to officially sign after Jan. 15 when the 2025 international signing period begins.
"The organization's done a tremendous job of making sure that we're relevant internationally," Shildt said.
The Padres already have two Japanese players on the roster in veteran right-hander Yu Darvish and left-handed reliever Yuki Matsui.
"We've got a lot of in-roads to get to Sasaki and make that happen, and I know we're going to put the full-court press ... and we're very optimistic," Shildt said.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, New York Mets, and San Francisco Giants are reportedly expected to be among Sasaki's other most serious suitors.
Sasaki was excellent during four seasons in Japan's top professional league, posting a 29-15 record with a sparkling 2.10 ERA and 11.5 K/9 across 64 appearances. He also looked sharp at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, registering a 3.52 ERA with 11 strikeouts in two starts.