Manny Machado Believes Roki Sasaki Already Planned on Signing With Dodgers While Meeting With Padres
The Los Angeles Dodgers are having the offseason of a lifetime. The 2023-24 offseason was one for the books, but the 2024-25 offseason could surpass it.
The Dodgers weren’t content with their title team from 2024; they reloaded and now enter the 2025 season as the overwhelming favorites to raise the Commissioner’s Trophy once again.
L.A. has everything it needs and then some to do just that, including a starting pitching staff that looks virtually unhittable.
Los Angeles has some big names, but none may be more electric and exciting than right-handed Roki Sasaki, the team’s newest starter from Japan.
Sasaki was the favorite to land in L.A. at the onset of his posting process, and that’s exactly where he ended up.
Some might say he was going to be a Dodger all along, including former Dodgers infielder Manny Machado, who is now one of the biggest stars on the San Diego Padres.
Machado said that he didn’t believe the ownership dispute impacted Sasaki’s decision; instead, he said that he had a gut feeling Sasaki had his mind made up when he met with the Padres.
Dennis Lin of The Athletic shared via X.
“I think he had his mind set already on where he was going,” Machado said. “That’s just my opinion.”
Every pundit and expert said that the Dodgers were the favorites to land the 23-year-old superstar.
However, they were also saying that the Padres were a close second, and some even believed he was going to choose San Diego over L.A.
Ultimately, Sasaki picked the Dodgers, and now Machado and the rest of his team will have to face the electric fastball from the Japanese sensation.
At the end of the day, Sasaki had a choice to go anywhere he wanted, and he chose the Dodgers.
L.A. will look to win not only the offseason, but the 2025 season to become the first team to repeat in over two decades.
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Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
