Let the waiting game commence.

On Wednesday, Major League Baseball’s international signing period opened, an annual date of significance around the sport in which top international amateur players can begin signing with teams.

For 27 clubs, that meant an afternoon of flurried activity, with top international prospects signing deals that in many cases they had been committed to for months, if not years.

However, for the three teams remaining in the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes — the Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays — the opening of the signing period was met with little action, as each maintained their hard-capped pool for signing bonuses in anticipation of Sasaki’s decision, which is expected to come before his posting window closes next Thursday.

Sasaki, a 23-year-old star pitcher from Japan, is classified as a member of the international signing class, as opposed to an unrestricted free agent, because he is coming over before turning 25. League rules put him in the same boat as teenage prospects from Latin America and other parts of the world: restricted to signing a standard minor-league contract and his signing bonus limited to however much money his desired team has in its international signing pool.

Read more: With Roki Sasaki set to make a decision, Dodgers hope their pursuit pays off

That’s why the Dodgers were doing what they could to preserve their allotment of $5.1 million in international bonus pool money — tied for the smallest amount in MLB because of luxury tax-related penalties, and almost a million behind the amount available to the Padres and Blue Jays.

While other teams inked their international prospects to lucrative deals, the Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays largely stood pat, the Dodgers having communicated to their top commitments in recent days they likely would have to wait until the Sasaki situation is resolved before finalizing other contracts.

As a result, three of the top players expected to be in the Dodgers’ international class reportedly signed elsewhere, including Dominican shortstop Darell Morel (Pittsburgh Pirates), Venezuelan outfielder Orlando Patiño (Chicago White Sox), and Dominican outfielder Teilon Serrano (Minnesota Twins). Only minor signings of $10,000 or less didn’t count against the team’s international bonus pool.

Meanwhile, Dodgers officials have had discussions with other teams about potentially acquiring more international bonus pool money via trade, according to people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.

Bonus pool money can be traded in increments of $250,000, and teams can acquire up to an additional 60% of what was in their original allotment, meaning the Dodgers potentially could add just over another $3 million to their bonus pool. It’s likely the Padres and Blue Jays also will explore similar deals.

At this stage, however, it’s unclear if such a maneuver will be necessary. Sasaki’s primary motivation isn’t believed to be money. If it was, he likely would’ve waited to come to the majors in two years when he would have been able to sign an unrestricted deal, perhaps rivaling the 12-year, $325-million contract Yoshinobu Yamamoto received from the Dodgers last offseason.

And unless one of Sasaki’s three finalists accrued significantly more bonus pool money than the others, the teams’ final offers likely wouldn’t differ by more than a few million at most.

There is also the challenge of valuing what additional bonus pool money is worth on this year’s international market.

Read more: Dodgers' meeting with Roki Sasaki didn't include in-person pitches from Ohtani or Yamamoto

When Shohei Ohtani came to MLB ahead of the 2018 season — under the same restrictions as Sasaki as someone who also was 23 at the time — the Angels traded their third-round selection from the 2017 draft, outfielder Jacob Pearson, to acquire $1 million in extra bonus pool money from the Twins. The Dodgers made a similar move in 2023 to sign highly-touted South Korean pitcher Hyun-Seok Jang, dealing two lower-level pitching prospects to the White Sox for reportedly $1 million in additional bonus pool money.

This time rival clubs could drive a harder bargain for trades involving bonus pool money, especially if it’s seen as a determining factor in Sasaki’s decision. On the other hand, his finalists could be wary of giving up prospects for more bonus pool money if they aren’t certain Sasaki will sign with them.

While any additional bonus pool money could be used on other international free agents over the remainder of the signing period, most top-ranked players will be off the market in the next few days. That’s why, for now, the three teams left in the Sasaki sweepstakes seemingly remain in a holding pattern, exploring options to acquire more bonus pool money if needed, while remaining hopeful that their pitches — which included a second round of meetings with Sasaki for each team in recent days — have done enough to distinguish themselves in the competition for the tantalizingly talented star.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.