The 2024 Major League Baseball season is officially over after the Los Angeles Dodgers won their eighth World Series title in franchise history.
Many players of Japanese descent have come to play in the MLB, with Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers perhaps the most famous.
Another pitcher of Japanese descent is expected to sign with a major league team this offseason.
MLB analyst Jensen Lewis revealed which team he thinks Rocky Sasaki would be a great fit with.
“The San Diego Padres will be there. Yu Darvish commands as much respect as any Japanese-born player in the modern era,” Lewis said.
“Yu Darvish commands as much respect as any Japanese-born player in the modern era.”@JLEWFifty about why #Parents: It will be very convenient for Rocky Sasaki.#FightForTheFaithful
🔗 https://t.co/fGPbvbjGlC pic.twitter.com/eUJxoW0ndw— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) November 10, 2024
Lewis appears to believe he can have some leverage to join the Padres, with Darvish also pitching for the organization and being from Japan.
Sasaki hit the ground running in 2024, where he started 18 games and posted 10 wins and five losses with a 2.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 111.0 innings.
The talent that some of the Japanese born players have brought to the MLB makes any new player coming to the MLB interesting.
After finishing the 2024 season with a record of 93 wins and 69 losses, the Padres entered the postseason as a wild-card team and eventually lost the National League Division Series to the Dodgers.
Although the Padres fell in the NLDS, they won their first series against the Atlanta Braves in the wild-card round.
It will be interesting to see if the Padres pursue Sasaki this offseason and add to their already talented starting rotation that includes Darvish.
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