Sasaki named them one of his three finalists, joined by the Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays. If nothing else, such recognition plants a larger Padres flag in Japan, where Sasaki commands national attention. Coming Japanese stars won’t say “who?” when Padres team-builder A.J. Preller and scouts come calling.

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

As rumors swirl regarding slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the Blue Jays have reportedly set a high asking price for any team that wants to trade for the All-Star first baseman.

In what could be a leverage play, the Toronto Blue Jays reportedly want to exceed what the New York Yankees sent to the San Diego Padres for Juan Soto.