NL Contender Reportedly In ‘Strong Position’ To Land Red Sox Pitching Target

While the Boston Red Sox are in the thick of the Juan Soto sweepstakes, they still need to add a frontline starting pitcher this offseason.

And it appears one potential target is slipping away from the Red Sox.

BBWAA reporter Francys Romero, who cited sources, reported Wednesday night that “the San Diego Padres are in a strong position to land Japanese ace Roki Sasaki.” That report was backed up by the New York Post’s Jon Heyman stating the Padres have a “real shot” at Sasaki.

That’s not exactly a surprise. The Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers have been long viewed as the top contender for Sasaki and there hasn’t been much Red Sox buzz as of late around the 23-year-old right-hander.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow reportedly flew out to Japan to scout Sasaki during the season and former MLB general manager Jim Bowden thought the starting pitcher could “become the face” of Boston’s starting rotation.

But most recent Japanese stars, like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, have preferred to stay out on the West Coast and it seems Sasaki will follow that trend.

It’s easy to see why the Red Sox are interested in Sasaki. The young starting pitcher posted a 29-15 record with with a 2.10 ERA and a 0.894 WHIP over four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. He also registered an 11.5 strikeout per nine inning.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters last month that he expected Sasaki wouldn’t join a team until the international signing period opens up on Jan. 15.

So, the Red Sox still have time to try to potentially change Sasaki’s mind. But it’s looking likely they’ll move on from him and look to land another marquee pitching free agent.