Roki Sasaki finalists should send message to Mariners about pedigree, recruiting

Despite the Seattle Mariners having arguably the best rotation in MLB, it doesn't mean they shouldn't be (or aren't) looking for ways to strengthen it further. Unfortunately for the club and their fans though, this won't include adding one of the most highly-touted arms in the game today.

As confirmed by Kyle Glaser of MLB.com, there are three finalists to sign Roki Sasaki, but the Mariners are not among them. The three clubs in question are the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays.

The Dodgers and Padres have long been predicted to be in the running to sign Sasaki, but Mariners fans began to get their hopes up as a result of recent speculation about a mystery team also being in the mix. Alas, it was just not meant to be in Seattle.

As much as the infield and offense in general are the bigger concerns for this Mariners ball club, it doesn't make the turn of events involving Sasaki any less disappointing. The reality is that making a play for the 23-year-old pitching phenom was a priority for the front office.

Mariners didn't even get to speak to Roki Sasaki in free agency

As per a report last month from Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, the Mariners had been preparing for months — if not years — to make their pitch to Sasaki. The organization had planned a fully-fledged recruitment drive for the Japanese righty, which understandably included pending Hall of Famer Ichiro.

In the end however, the Mariners didn't even get a chance to make their pitch, with them not among the clubs who got to meet with Sasaki and his representatives. To not be afforded the opportunity to speak to a player who has been described as the LeBron James of Japanese baseball, is a crushing blow for Jerry Dipoto and the front office.

Signing Sasaki would have also been a financial victory for a Mariners club which is limited in how much money is available to strengthen the roster. Adding to the frustration, the M's are among eight clubs with the biggest 2025 international bonus pool allotment at $7.5555 million each, more than the Dodgers, Padres or Blue Jays.

There is some sense of irony in this respect, with this being one of the very few occasions where the Mariners could actually outbid the Dodgers, but it ultimately didn't mean a thing (interpret that as you will). In any event, Sasaki has until Jan. 23 to make his decision.

As a final thought, it would make things extremely interesting (embarrassing?) if Sasaki ended up signing with the Padres, who share the Peoria Sports Complex with the Mariners during Spring Training. And, particularly, because a certain Scott Servais has just been hired in San Diego to serve as a special assistant for baseball operations and player development.

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