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 with ripple effects for Latin American teenagers whose unofficial agreements worth millions are on hold pending his decision.

One of the most highly anticipated and unique free agencies in Major League Baseball history is nearing its conclusion in the next 10 days. Roki Sasaki, a 23-year-old, right-handed pitcher whose generational talent has been revered in his native Japan since he was a teenager,

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.

Pitcher Roki Sasaki is set to come onto the market after the international free agent signing period opens on Jan. 15. He’s set to join a number of fellow countrymen who have crossed the Pacific for bumper paydays.

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.