The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes are rounding third base.

The Japanese phenom has reportedly narrowed down his list of teams to three -- the Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays, according to an ESPN report -- and will be making his decision in the coming days, adding a talented arm to one lucky rotation.

¡°Just about everyone has assumed he would sign with the Dodgers or Padres from the minute he was posted,¡± a National League executive said. ¡°You can¡¯t count out the Blue Jays, because they always seem to be in the mix, but it would be a surprise if he didn¡¯t wind up with one of those SoCal teams.¡±

According to sources, both the Dodgers and Padres have been calling teams about trading for international bonus pool money with the hopes of bulking up the amount they can offer Sasaki.

One executive said: ¡°There are a number of teams asking for international money -- some that you would guess and some that you would not. [L.A. and San Diego] are certainly reaching out, but they aren¡¯t alone. Other teams are recognizing opportunities."

Sasaki was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball on Dec. 9, meaning there must be a resolution no later than next Thursday when his 45-day window to sign will close.

The 23-year-old right-hander is projected to be a No. 1-2 starter immediately upon his arrival in the Majors, though because of his status as an international amateur free agent, Sasaki will be an extremely cost-effective starter for whichever team is fortunate enough to sign him.

¡°If he was going to cost $300 million, he would still be a great get,¡± the exec said. ¡°But at the price it¡¯s going to cost, he¡¯ll be the best free agent acquisition since [Shohei] Ohtani.¡±

• Key pros and cons of 3 finalists vying for Sasaki

Ohtani was in a similar situation when he came to the Majors in 2018 at the age of 23, signing with the Angels for $2.315 million. Players younger than 25 years old who have not reached six years of service in a foreign major league are subject to MLB's international amateur signing bonus pool rules, setting a cap on their contracts. Unlike Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed a 12-year, $325 million free-agent contract with the Dodgers last winter, Sasaki¡¯s deal is likely to land around $5 million to $6 million.

• International signing period begins: Track key deals

Assuming Sasaki never spends a day in the Minors, he will be under club control through the 2030 season, not reaching the arbitration process until the end of the 2027 campaign.

Monday, word began to spread that Sasaki had eliminated a number of teams that had thrown their respective hats into the ring for his services. According to sources, the Yankees, Mets, Cubs, Diamondbacks and Rangers were among the clubs that had been informed they were no longer in the running, while Giants general manager Zack Minasian confirmed Monday that San Francisco had also been informed that Sasaki was signing elsewhere.

That left the Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays vying for Sasaki, who owns a 2.02 ERA and 524 strikeouts over 414 2/3 career innings for the Marines.

Where will Sasaki wind up? That answer will be revealed soon enough.