Prized Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki says in an Instagram post he intends to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. A 23-year-old right-hander whose fastball tops 100 mph, Sasaki will join fellow Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a move many baseball executives have long expected.

The San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays were said to be the other finalists still in pursuit of Sasaki, who has until next Thursday to finalize a contract.

The International Signing Period opened up on Wednesday and as teams lined up their future top prospects, Roki Sasaki remained unsigned. The 23-year-old Japane