Could Roki Sasaki be MLB bound? Top 3 teams that would benefit from signing Team Japan's dazzling young pitcher

Could Roki Sasaki head to the MLB? The Japanese star is the latest in a long line of star players that MLB teams will likely covet. As he continues to show out for Samurai Japan in the World Baseball Classic, MLB teams are likely interested in him.

The Nippon Baseball League has often been seen as a bit of a pipeline to the MLB. While it is the second-most high-profile baseball league in the world, many star players eventually leave for the MLB. Could Roki Sasaki be next? Here are three teams that could try and lure him away.

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Three teams Roki Sasaki might defect to MLB for

3) San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres clearly have no qualms about spending boatloads of money, so expect them to be active if Roki Sasaki leaves for the majors. They also know their title window is now. It will cost them a lot to keep Juan Soto, Josh Hader and others and sign Sasaki, but A.J. Preller is more than willing to make it happen.

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2) Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers want another former NBL player in Shohei Ohtani, but they may settle for Sasaki. Japanese players often favor the West Coast (like Ohtani did) because of the time difference from there to the East Coast.

The Dodgers also have a lot of money, especially if they don't get Ohtani. They'll need to replace Clayton Kershaw eventually, too.

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1) New York Mets

Could the Mets go after Sasaki?

The New York Mets love spending money more than any other team, so if there's a top Japanese player coming over, they will be aggressively involved. His price tag won't matter either, because Steve Cohen will assuredly spend whatever it takes to bring Sasaki to the Big Apple.