Major League Baseball's new international amateur free-agent signing cycle opened Wednesday, meaning that Japanese ace Roki Sasaki will soon make his long-awaited free-agent decision over the coming days.

Roki Sasaki can sign with Major League Baseball teams during a nine-day window starting Wednesday, an unusual free agency that caused a domino effect among Latin American teenagers whose unofficial agreements are on hold pending his decision.

The Detroit Tigers didn't try to sign Shohei Ohtani in 2017. A lot has changed since then, exemplified by an attempt to sign Roki Sasaki in 2024-25.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres reportedly are the favorites to sign Roki Sasaki, but don't count out the Toronto Blue Jays.

Japanese ace Roki Sasaki's recruitment tour will include a second meeting with the Dodgers, with this one taking place in Los Angeles and allowing for the inclusion of other players, according to The Athletic.

The Mets have been in a verbal agreement to sign the No. 2 international prospect Elian Peña out of the Dominican Republic — Sasaki is No. 1. With their international bonus pool money, $6,261,600, according to Baseball America, set to replenish Wednesday, they’ll have enough to officially sign Peña.

It's down to the Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays in the race for 23-year-old Japanese pitching phenom Sasaki. This could be an inflection point for the Toronto franchise.

The New York Mets could look to swing a massive trade for San Diego Padres ace Dylan Cease after whiffing on Roki Sasaki.