Padres GM on Roki Sasaki Signing With Dodgers: ‘We Want Players Who Want to Be Here’

Roki Sasaki announced his free agent decision on Friday, revealing on Instagram that he was signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While the San Diego Padres were reported to be out of the running early Friday morning, it wasn’t until Sasaki made the decision on Friday afternoon that the team’s pursuit of the 23-year-old pitcher officially came to an end.

On Friday night, after losing Sasaki to the team’s biggest rival, Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller expressed pride in San Diego’s pursuit of the superstar Japanese pitcher.

More news: The Dodgers Aren’t Ruining Baseball After Signing Roki Sasaki; They’re Just Better At It Than Everyone Else

“Really proud of the group,” Preller said Friday night of the recruiting of Sasaki, via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Really thorough and complete job.”

The Padres and Dodgers were considered the favorites for Sasaki well before he was posted to Major League teams on Dec. 10.

While the Dodgers were thought to be the favorite, the Padres were expected to give L.A. a run for its money — and they appear to have done just that.

The Padres were one of three finalists for Sasaki, along with the Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. They weren’t reported to be eliminated until early Friday morning, when they pivoted to other international signings.

Following the Padres’ failed pursuit of Sasaki — a player they needed more than the Dodgers — Preller was ready to move on.

“At the end of the day, we want players that want to be here,” Preller said. “We’ll move forward and look to add to a really talented roster.”

The Padres have made a total of zero major league additions this offseason. They appeared to be focused solely on Sasaki, as they attempted to shed payroll while still building on a team that had a 2-1 lead over the eventual World Series champion Dodgers in the NLDS.

And yet, the Padres didn’t only miss out on Sasaki, but they lost him to that same team who held the Padres scoreless for the final 24 innings of the NLDS.

Now, the Padres have to figure out how to improve upon a team that exceeded expectations in 2024, going 93-69 and finishing just five games back of an NL West title.

“We’ve seen offseasons where we’ve been really aggressive and been able to line up on moves early in the offseason and other years, like last year, where it was later in the process,” Preller said. “We’ve got a really good core and good foundation we like a lot, and we’ve got some needs as well.”