A decision for Roki Sasaki is quickly approaching with the 2025 international signing period beginning on Jan. 15. The right-hander will have roughly a week to sign with a team before the Jan.

Many people around the league opined last week that questions about the team’s ownership would harm the Padres’ chances to land Sasaki. But chatter among MLB teams’ personnel people increasingly names the Padres as the favorite to land the pitcher who posted a 2.02 ERA in 414⅔ innings over four seasons in Japan.