Padres reportedly out on Roki Sasaki as international signings become official

For the last several weeks, it seems as though the only free agent who's been on the San Diego Padres' radar has been Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki. Sasaki's name has dominated the airwaves and keyboards throughout San Diego since he was posted earlier this offseason, and the Friar faithful felt pretty good about their odds to sign the best young pitching prospect in the game.

Unlike most free agents from Japan, Sasaki's free agency wasn't as much about money as it was fit. Certain rules governing his signing prevented Sasaki from cashing in big this offseason, and instead teams were forced to use their international bonus pool in order to secure his services.

Sasaki had initially invited all comers to make their best pitch, but in the end, he narrowed his choices down to the Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Toronto Blue Jays.

Unfortunately, despite some unbelievably tempting teases -- Sasaki's workout in San Diego wearing Padres gear will go down as an all-time "what could have been?" betrayal of Yu Darvish, his mentor -- the Pads were reportedly moving on to other pursuits on Friday morning.

Believing that they're out on Sasaki, San Diego has pivoted to the international free agents who they'd previously told to wait their turn; the Padres are preparing to sign right-hander Carlos Alvarez while acknowledging that Sasaki has gone elsewhere.

Padres moving on from Japanese star Roki Sasaki

Who will it be? The Dodgers or the Blue Ja-- come on. It's the Dodgers. It's the team with 12 All-Stars. It's the team in vogue. It's the team that wins every head-to-head. And now it's San Diego's job to halt a newly empowered super team while in a crisis.

There's no way to spin this positively; Sasaki, who left Japan early and cost himself tens of millions of dollars with intent, was the Padres' best hope to even the playing field somewhat with the Dodgers while in financial turmoil. The late Peter Seidler was involved on Sasaki extensively and had a glowing relationship with him. Even with an impossible-to-navigate landscape, Preller and the Padres truly believed they had an edge here.

And now, they've become the first finalist to pivot.