With it, the clock began to tick on when Japanese ace Roki Sasaki, the best pitcher in the world not already under an MLB team's employment, will pick his next employer and complete his long-awaited transfer to North America.

The Roki Saski Sweepstakes are coming down to the wire in Major League Baseball. The 23-year-old Japanese pitching star has been the biggest international prize this offseason with seemingly all the usual suspects making their best effort for the righty.