MLB News: Rōki Sasaki, Dodgers Reportedly Meeting Ahead of Jan. 23 Contract Deadline

The Los Angeles Dodgers will reportedly make their pitch to Rōki Sasaki on Tuesday.

Fabian Ardaya and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the National League West team is meeting with the 23-year-old pitcher and will feature several players in their presentations. Previous meetings with the other finalists in the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres did not include the teams' players, although they were permitted during city tours.

The deadline for one of the three finalists to sign Sasaki is Jan. 23.

Sasaki's meeting with the Dodgers is the latest development in a free-agency pursuit that accelerated this week.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Monday the Dodgers, Blue Jays and Padres were the three finalists after various reports indicated the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs were out.

Will Sammon, Dennis Lin and Andy McCullough of The Athletic reported the right-hander met with all of those teams before eliminating the list of potential suitors to three.

Perhaps Los Angeles can position itself in the driver's seat with the latest meeting of the three finalists. And it certainly has plenty to sell given the overall roster construction and its recent history of success.

Sasaki was teammates with Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Japan's title-winning team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. If players are involved in the latest meeting between team and pitcher, they will surely be a part of the pitch.

Then there is the chance to win, which Los Angeles certainly presents.

It is the reigning World Series champion and has been to the playoffs 12 consecutive seasons. It reached the Fall Classic four times during that span and won it twice, and it would be anything but a surprise if it reached the sport's biggest stage once again even if it doesn't sign Sasaki this offseason.

After all, the star power with Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Yamamoto and Blake Snell, among others, is overwhelming. Sasaki may see the Dodgers as the best opportunity to play alongside some familiar faces and compete for a World Series title and react accordingly.

If that is the case, the other teams may not have much of a chance of landing him.