The Padres will sign left-hander and international amateur free agent Carlos Alvarez, according to The Athletic's Will Sammon. That's an intriguing development given that the Padres are considered one of the three finalists (alongside the Dodgers and Blue Jays) in the running for Japanese ace Roki Sasaki.

Blue Jays reporter Scott Mitchell of TSN appeared on Toronto’s morning show “First Up” on Wednesday. There, he revealed a close connection between Sasaki and the Blue Jays that should send tremors down the Yankees ’ spine. It begins with a member of Toronto’s front office staff, Frank Hermann, who was a former major league pitcher.

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.