You can’t hit a home run from the dugout. The Padres were right to pursue Roki Sasaki, even though, by the time the Japanese pitching ace chose Friday to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, much of their offseason had come and gone to little effect.

With ownership turmoil and no offseason additions, the Padres must figure out how to contend without the Japanese phenom they coveted.

The Los Angeles Dodgers landed Roki Sasaki, and there are inevitably some who want to spoil the story. Less than an hour after Sasaki announced he was joining t