On the Mariners' side of things, the biggest moves that have happened have been declining second baseman Jorge Polanco's option and the signing former Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Adonis Medina to a minor league deal with a spring training invite.

For years, Seattle was regarded as a premier destination for Japanese players making the jump to Major League Baseball. The Mariners had strong ties across the Pacific: They had a longtime owner, Hiroshi Yamauchi,

The Dodgers have sought to, in the words of manager Dave Roberts, “paint the country of Japan blue” through their leveraging of last winter’s Japanese signings, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They’ve fostered a strong relationship with Sasaki’s agent,