The Padres, with Japanese star Yu Darvish on the roster, felt they had a legitimate shot at Sasaki, and they had more money to play with, almost $6.26 million, than L.A. But the Dodgers, who eliminated the Padres on their way to the World Series last season, prevailed again.

The San Diego Padres are reportedly taking taking interest in signing a World Series champion after missing out on Roki Sasaki.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report predicts that Los Angeles will ultimately be the ones to sign him. "This is a boring pick, given that the Dodgers have most often been Sasaki's favorite throughout this process. But that isn't even why they're also the sensible pick," Rymer wrote.