Realistically, the Guardians never had a chance to sign Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki, though, they did try. The Guardians were among the 20 or so big-league teams that expressed interest in Sasaki right after the Chiba Lotte Marines,

San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller speaks out after his team's failed pursuit of Roki Sasaki, who chose to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

At his age and talent level, Sasaki folds in perfectly for a Dodgers club that was already planning on running a six-man rotation.

You can’t hit a home run from the dugout. The Padres were right to pursue Roki Sasaki, even though, by the time the Japanese pitching ace chose Friday to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, much of their offseason had come and gone to little effect.

Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, the hottest international free agent in baseball, is headed to the Los Angeles Dodgers, he announced on social media Friday. The 23-year-old right-hander said he signed a minor-league deal.