Japanese ace Roki Sasaki announced on Instagram that he will be joining the Los Angeles Dodgers, forcing the San Diego Padres to pivot from their international signing plans.

Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki chose to sign with the Dodgers, an announcement he made on Instagram. That leaves the Padres to face an uncertain path in the months leading up to the 2025 season and to face the reality of their closest and most irksome rival going forward with yet another star player.

With ownership turmoil and no offseason additions, the Padres must figure out how to contend without the Japanese phenom they coveted.

The Padres, with Japanese star Yu Darvish on the roster, felt they had a legitimate shot at Sasaki, and they had more money to play with, almost $6.26 million, than L.A. But the Dodgers, who eliminated the Padres on their way to the World Series last season, prevailed again.

The widow of the late San Diego Padres owner has provided a statement to Fox News Digital responding to claims her lawsuit hurt the team's chances of signing Roki Sasaki.

Matthew Seidler's lawsuit also seems to suggest Sheel Seidler's lawsuit cost the Padres a chance at star Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, who instead signed with the rival Los Angele

So far, the San Diego Padres' offseason will be remembered for two things: missing out on Roki Sasaki and the start of a bareknuckle ownership fight. As it turns out, the two might be related. That ownership fight involving former Padres chairman Peter Seidler's widow,

As the San Diego Padres worked to finalize negotiations with Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki, a legal dispute involving the late Padres owner Peter Seidler’s family added turmoil to the team’s offseason.