Before the Los Angeles Dodgers finalized a four-year, $72 million deal with former San Diego Padres reliever Tanner Scott, they had been considering signing ano

In San Diego, news that one-man Powerball ticket Roki Sasaki has decided to join the Dodgers was more than a gut punch. It was a steel-toed boot to the shin, a Clydesdale stomp to the foot, a right hook to the jaw. This hurt in all kinds of ways, big and bigger than big.

San Padres ownership turmoil may have influenced Roki Sasaki's decision to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as stability played a key role in his choice.

Roki Sasaki will sign with either the Dodgers, Padres, or Blue Jays. Here's how their pitching staffs would look with the Japanese sensation in the fold.

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.

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.

Right from the start, the San Diego Padres were all in for the Japanese young sensation, Roki Sasaki. The post Roki Sasaki’s Veiled Attack on Padres Turns Dodgers Star Into San Diego’s Biggest Public Enemy appeared first on EssentiallySports.