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

Roki Sasaki has not signed with a Major League Baseball club yet and has already been mentioned in a lawsuit involving one. Sheel Seidler, the widow of former

The Padres will sign left-hander and international amateur free agent Carlos Alvarez, according to The Athletic's Will Sammon. That's an intriguing development given that the Padres are considered one of the three finalists (alongside the Dodgers and Blue Jays) in the running for Japanese ace Roki Sasaki.

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.

The sweepstakes for 23-year-old Japanese flamethrower Roki Sasaki could be nearing its conclusion. Sasaki, whose representation said he was open to playing for all 30 teams, is now reportedly down to two franchises as he nears a decision.

Japanese ace Roki Sasaki has whittled his list of teams down to two. On Friday, Cuban baseball reporter Francys Romero reported that the San Diego Padres are “out” on the 23-year-old right-hander. That leaves the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Adding top-level international talent is never a bad thing, even if it likely means you’re not going to be signing the biggest fish in the pool. According to multiple reports the Padres have agreed to 7-figure deals with a pair of Dominican teenagers,