THE Los Angeles Dodgers are the defending World Series champions after spending more than $1 billion on free agents last winter. Such is life in modern MLB, when it feels like every team is bidding against the Dodgers for blue-chip talent.

Los Angeles is once again seen as a potential destination for top free agents, such as Juan Soto or Max Fried. Another popular name linked to the Dodgers is Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese phenom expected to be affected in the coming months.

Sasaki has long been considered a Dodger in waiting because of the obvious appeal of joining Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Japan’s most popular team. That said, according to Jim Bowden of Athleticsreports that Sasaki in Los Angeles is almost a deal done are greatly exaggerated. In fact, he thinks the Dodgers aren’t even Sasaki’s favorite.

No, Bowden thinks Sasaki would prefer to reside far from the blinding spotlight of Ohtani and Yamamoto in Los Angeles. The Dodgers won’t have the financial advantage since Sasaki can only be signed to a minor league contract. This puts more emphasis on finding a good home for Sasaki as an individual, rather than just collecting the biggest bag of money.

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“Due to his age, Sasaki will be considered an ‘amateur’ international free agent and will be required to sign a minor league contract with a bonus paid from the team’s international pool,” Bowden wrote. “Teams’ individual bonus pools are capped at around $7 million, with some variation, so even if a club commits its entire pool to Sasaki, there will not be enough monetary difference in offers for that the bonus will be a significant factor in where he will play signs.”

The way for teams to differentiate themselves in the Sasaki draw will be through sponsorship opportunities. While one might expect the Dodgers to present the clearest path to advertising revenue in Sasaki’s pocket, he would be playing in the shadow of Ohtani and Yamamoto. According to Bowden, New York Mets Ace Kodai Senga received more sponsorship money than Yamamoto last season because the latter was second fiddle to Ohtani in the Japanese market.

This could entice Sasaki to join a team where he plays a starring role. It will likely take time for the 23-year-old to become an ace at the next level, but he could be in line for a higher salary off the field and off MLB with a team like the Atlanta Braves Or Tampa Bay Rayswhose name Bowden checks. He also mentions the San Diego Padreswhich offer Sasaki a chance to play on the West Coast and with a long-time mentor at Yu Darvish, 38, who is under contract until 2028.

This might be the perfect setup. Sasaki can learn at Darvish’s altar for a few years before becoming the Padres’ No. 1 ace when the time arrives and Darvish hangs up on them. Darvish has a closer relationship with Sasaki than with Ohtani or Yamamoto, and he likely won’t stand in the way of the fireball newbie’s endorsements. If we want to read the tea leaves of Bowden’s report, maybe we should start calling San Diego the “favorite” to land Sasaki.

None of this means Los Angeles is out of the race, but I would wait to order your Sasaki-Dodgers jersey until the ink is dry.