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.

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

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.