View source for Posting system

{{short description|Baseball player transfers between Japan and the United States}}
{{about|the player transfer system between MLB and NPB|the system between MLB and the KBO|Posting system (KBO)}}
[[Image:Ichiro.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A Japanese man wearing a grey Seattle baseball uniform fielding a ball in the outfield.|[[Ichiro Suzuki]] was the first high-profile [[Nippon Professional Baseball|NPB]] player (second overall) to use the posting system.]]
The {{nihongo|'''posting system'''|ポスティングシステム|posutingu shisutemu}}<ref>The agreement is officially called the {{nihongo|"United States &ndash; Japanese Player Contract Agreement"|日米間選手契約に関する協定}}. In English, the process is most commonly referred to as the "posting system", though it is also sometimes referred to as the "posting agreement". The corresponding Japanese term is most commonly written in [[katakana]] as "{{nihongo2|ポスティングシステム}}", though "{{nihongo2|ポスティング制度}}" is sometimes used.</ref> is a [[baseball]] player transfer system that operates between [[Nippon Professional Baseball]] (NPB) and [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB). Despite the drafting of the United States &ndash; Japanese Player Contract Agreement, unveiled in 1967 to regulate NPB players moving to MLB, problems began to arise in the late 1990s. Some NPB teams lost star players without compensation, an issue highlighted when NPB stars [[Hideo Nomo]] and [[Alfonso Soriano]] left to play in MLB after using loopholes to void their existing contracts. A further problem was that NPB players had very little negotiating power if their teams decided to deal them to MLB, as when pitcher [[Hideki Irabu]] was traded to an MLB team for which he had no desire to play. In 1998, the Agreement was rewritten to address both problems; the result was dubbed the "posting system".

Under this system, when an NPB player is "posted", his NPB team notifies the [[Commissioner of Baseball|MLB Commissioner]], with the posting fee based on the type of contract a player signs and its value. For [[Minor League Baseball|minor-league]] contracts, the fee is a flat 25% of contract's value; for MLB contracts, the fee is based on the value of the contract that the posted player eventually signs. The player is then given 30&nbsp;days to negotiate with any MLB team willing to pay the NPB team's posting fee. If the player agrees on contract terms with a team before the 30-day period has expired, the NPB team receives the posting fee from the signing MLB team as a transfer fee, and the player is free to play in MLB. If no MLB team comes to a contract agreement with the posted player, then no fee is paid, and the player's rights revert to his NPB team. The current process replaced one in which MLB held a [[silent auction]] during which MLB teams submitted sealed, uncapped bids in an attempt to win the exclusive negotiating rights with the posted player for a period of 30&nbsp;days. Once the highest bidding MLB team was determined, the player could then only negotiate with that team.

Up to the end of the 2017–18 posting period, 23&nbsp;NPB players had been posted using the system. Of these, 12&nbsp;signed Major League contracts, four signed minor-league contracts, five were unsuccessful in attracting any MLB interest, and two could not come to a contract agreement during the 30-day negotiation period. The five highest-profile players that have been acquired by MLB teams through the posting system are [[Ichiro Suzuki]], [[Daisuke Matsuzaka]], [[Yu Darvish]], [[Masahiro Tanaka]], and [[Shohei Ohtani]]. The first three attracted high bids of $13.125&nbsp;million, $51.1&nbsp;million, and $51.7&nbsp;million respectively. Tanaka was the first player posted under a revised procedure that was in place from 2013 to 2017; he was posted for the maximum $20&nbsp;million allowed under the new rules. Ohtani was the first player posted under the current procedure; his posting fee of $20&nbsp;million was grandfathered in under the previous agreement. Since its implementation the posting system has been criticized by the media and baseball insiders from both countries.

==History==
The first instance of a Japanese-born player playing in Major League Baseball was in 1964, when the [[Nankai Hawks]], an NPB team, sent three exchange prospects to the United States to gain experience in MLB's [[Minor league baseball|minor league system]]. One of the players, [[pitcher]] [[Masanori Murakami]], was named the [[California League]] Rookie of the Year while playing for the [[Fresno Giants]] (the [[San Francisco Giants]]' Class-A team).
Giants executives were impressed with his talent and on September 1, 1964 Murakami was promoted, thus becoming the [[List of countries with their first Major League Baseball player|first Japanese player to play in MLB]].<ref name="murakami">{{cite web|url=http://www.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news_story.jsp?article_id=sf_20011220_murakami_news&team_id=sf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020818134206/http://www.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news_story.jsp?article_id=sf_20011220_murakami_news&team_id=sf |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 18, 2002 |title=Where have you gone, Masanori Murakami? |access-date=November 13, 2008 |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |date=December 24, 2001 |author=Kleinberg, Alexander }}</ref> After Murakami put up good [[Baseball statistics#Pitching statistics|pitching statistics]] as a [[relief pitcher|reliever]], Giants executives sought to exercise a clause in their contract with the Hawks that, they claimed,  allowed them to buy up an exchange prospect's contract. NPB officials objected, stating that they had no intention of selling Murakami's contract to the Giants and telling them that Murakami was merely on loan for the [[1964 Major League Baseball season|1964 season]]. After a two-month stalemate the Giants eventually agreed to send Murakami back to the Hawks after the [[1965 Major League Baseball season|1965 season]]. Thus, after pitching one more season for the Giants, Murakami returned to Japan to play for the Hawks. This affair led to the 1967 United States &ndash; Japanese Player Contract Agreement, also known as the "working agreement", between MLB and NPB, which was basically a hands-off policy.<ref>Whiting 2004, pp. 75&ndash;80.</ref><ref name="mlb"/>

===Complications===
[[Image:HideoNomo.png|thumb|right|alt=A Japanese man wearing a Devil Ray baseball uniform points his arms upward as he prepares to pitch in the bullpen.|The second [[List of Major League Baseball players from Japan|Japanese-born player to play in MLB]], [[Hideo Nomo]] used a loophole to void his NPB contract.]]
MLB and NPB officials created the posting system as a combined reaction to three cases in the 1990s, involving NPB players who moved to MLB. The first of these occurred in the winter of 1994 when pitcher [[Hideo Nomo]], with the help of [[sports agent|agent]] [[Don Nomura]], became the second Japanese-born player to play in MLB, 30&nbsp;years after Murakami. Nomo, who was not yet eligible for [[free agent|free agency]] in Japan, was advised by Nomura that the Japanese Uniform Players Contract's [[reserve clause]] limited the [[Kintetsu Buffaloes]]' control over him to Japan only.<ref name="whiting2-12">Whiting 2004, pp. 102&ndash;112.</ref><ref>Klein 2006, p. 137.</ref> Nomo utilized this loophole by voluntarily retiring from NPB to terminate his contract with the Buffaloes, circumvent its reserve clause and play in MLB. He announced his retirement from NPB in late 1994 and signed with the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] in February 1995, where he won the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] [[Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year]] award.<ref name="whiting2-12"/> The following year, the Dodgers signed Nomo to a three-year, $4.3&nbsp;million contract.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E6DA1039F930A15751C0A960958260 |title=Dodgers Sign Nomo To Three-Year Deal |access-date=April 14, 2008 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=February 23, 1996}}</ref>
[[Image:Alfonso Soriano.jpg|thumb|left|alt=With baseball in hand, an African-American man wearing a white and red Nationals baseball uniform cocks his arm backward as he prepares to throw.|[[Alfonso Soriano]]'s move to MLB helped prompt the creation of the posting system.]]
In early 1997, after months of negotiations, the [[San Diego Padres]] signed a working agreement with the [[Chiba Lotte Marines]] that gave the Padres exclusive signing rights to another Nomura client, [[Hideki Irabu]]. Although both Irabu and Nomura stated that Irabu would only sign with the [[New York Yankees]], neither the Padres nor the Marines consulted Irabu before finalizing their deal. The [[Major League Baseball Players Association]] (MLBPA) sided with Irabu, stating that the arrangement unfairly disregarded a player's expressed wishes. However, MLB's executive council ruled that the Padres had not violated any existing rule, and therefore legally held the rights to Irabu. Following this decision, Irabu contemplated a number of different options, including playing in NPB until he became a free agent, and taking the matter to the U.S. judicial system. By May, however, the Padres gave in and traded Irabu to the Yankees, who signed him for $12.8&nbsp;million over four years.<ref>Whiting 2004, pp. 130&ndash;134.</ref>

The final incident occurred in 1998, when [[Alfonso Soriano]] was unable to leave the [[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]] due to contract restrictions. Soriano disliked the intense Japanese practice schedule, and the Carp denied him a salary increase from $45,000 (the league's minimum) to $180,000 per year.<ref>Klein 2006, p. 138.</ref><ref name="sori">{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1026510/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729125514/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1026510/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 29, 2013 |title=He's Arrived |author=Pearlman, Jeff |access-date=November 21, 2008 |date=August 26, 2002 |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |author-link=Jeff Pearlman}}</ref> Like Nomo and Irabu, Soriano hired Nomura to help his situation. After first attempting to void Soriano's NPB contract by unsuccessfully arguing that the player was legally a minor when he signed it Nomura advised him, like Nomo, to retire from NPB and pursue a career in MLB. This prompted Carp executives to file an [[injunction]] against Soriano and send letters to MLB teams demanding that they cease all negotiations with him.<ref name="whiting42-44">Whiting 2004, pp. 142&ndash;144.</ref> NPB officials claimed that after the Nomo case they had privately amended the Player Contract to give NPB teams the right to prohibit a player from signing a new contract anywhere after voluntarily retiring.<ref>Klein 2006, p. 139.</ref> Since MLB officials were not consulted and they did not agree to any changes, [[Commissioner of Baseball|MLB Commissioner]] [[Bud Selig]] declared that MLB would recognize Soriano as a free agent on July 13, 1998, and the Carp backed down.<ref name="whiting42-44"/> He signed a 5-year, $3.1&nbsp;million contract with the New York Yankees the same year.<ref name="sori"/>

===Resolution===
In 1998, [[Orix BlueWave]] general manager [[Shigeyoshi Ino]] rewrote the 1967 United States &ndash; Japanese Player Contract Agreement, when he drafted the "posting system".<ref name="p. 146">Whiting 2004, p. 146.</ref> Selig and [[Commissioner of Baseball (NPB)|NPB Commissioner]] [[Hiromori Kawashima]] signed this new agreement in December 1998.<ref name="irabu">{{cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/05/sports/base.php |title=Baseball: Irabu's legacy is a high-stakes auction |access-date=April 9, 2008 |work=[[International Herald Tribune]] |author=Sandomir, Richard |date=December 5, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061206211655/http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/05/sports/base.php |archive-date = December 6, 2006}}</ref> It sought to address each of the problems brought up by the Nomo, Irabu and Soriano cases, by requiring MLB teams to place "bids" for NPB players. These bids became the basis of transfer fees that are paid as compensation to NPB teams whose star players sign with MLB.<ref name="time">{{cite magazine |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501020715-300682-2,00.html |title=The Ichiro Paradox |access-date=April 9, 2008 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |author=Price, S.L. |date=July 8, 2002 |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222023013/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501020715-300682-2,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> NPB players are also allowed to negotiate with MLB teams over the terms of their new contracts. Through the 2013 season, the agreement was in effect on a year-to-year basis, terminable at the option of either the MLB Commissioner or the NPB Commissioner provided notice to terminate is given by June 18 of any given year.<ref name="official"/> 

A new agreement between MLB and NPB, with significantly different rules, was announced on December 16, 2013 and took effect immediately; it continued through the 2016 MLB and NPB seasons. It removed the blind auction system, changing the system to allow for negotiations between any team that wished to sign the player, and capping the posting fee at $20 million.<ref name=Corcoran>{{cite magazine |url=http://mlb.si.com/2013/12/17/masahiro-tanaka-japan-mlb-npb-posting/ |title=New posting system for Japanese players favors players, MLB teams |first=Cliff |last=Corcoran |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated|SI.com]] |date=December 17, 2013 |access-date=January 23, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140126083253/http://mlb.si.com/2013/12/17/masahiro-tanaka-japan-mlb-npb-posting/ |archive-date=January 26, 2014 }}</ref> The agreement was extended for an additional season during negotiations for a new agreement.

The current posting agreement was reached after the 2017 MLB and NPB seasons. The agreement runs through October 31, 2021, the expiration date of MLB's current collective bargaining agreement.{{update inline|date=May 2022}} Not all of the provisions applied immediately—for example, the [[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]] were allowed to set a $20 million posting fee, the maximum allowed under the previous agreement, for two-way star [[Shohei Ohtani]], whom they posted shortly after approval of the new agreement. Since the end of the 2018 NPB and MLB seasons, posting fees have been based on the type of contract a player signs and the deal's value. For players signed to MLB contracts, the posting fee is based on the amount of guaranteed money in the initial contract:<ref name=Morosi>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-mlb-posting-deal-reached/c-262241200 |title=Pitcher? Hitter? Both! And soon, Ohtani in play |first=Jon Paul |last=Morosi |website=MLB.com |date=November 21, 2017 |access-date=January 23, 2018}}</ref>
* 20% of the first $25 million
* 17.5% of the next $25 million
* 15% of any amount above $50 million

For players signed to minor-league contracts, the fee is a flat 25% of the contract's value.<ref name=Morosi/>

The system only applies to players currently under contract with a Japanese team, although players who have nine or more years of playing service with NPB are exempt.<ref name="free agency">{{cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2008/06/26/sports/npb-players-to-revise-free-agency-system/ |title=NPB, players to revise free-agency system |date=June 26, 2008 |access-date=September 6, 2009 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |agency=[[Kyodo News]]}}</ref> It does not apply to free agents or to amateur players who have never played in NPB.<ref name="tazawa nyt"/> [[Mac Suzuki]], [[Micheal Nakamura]], [[Kazuhito Tadano]], and [[Junichi Tazawa]] are the only Japanese players to have debuted in MLB without having played in NPB.<ref name="tazawa nyt">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/sports/baseball/20pitcher.html?_r=3&scp=1&sq=Tazawa&st=cse&oref=slogin |title=Japanese Are Irked by U.S. Interest in Pitcher |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 19, 2008 |access-date=November 25, 2008 |author=Schwarz, Alan |author-link=Alan Schwarz}}</ref><ref name="tazawa espn">{{cite news| url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3583152 |title=Amateur Tazawa bypassing Japan leagues for MLB |work=[[ESPN.com]] |date=September 12, 2008 |access-date=November 25, 2008 |author=Allen, Jim}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://web.theabl.com.au/content/page.jsp?ymd=20141014&content_id=98565276&fext=.jsp&sid=l595&vkey=history |title=Micheal Nakamura |publisher=[[Australian Baseball League]] |access-date=June 22, 2015 |archive-date=August 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810004430/http://web.theabl.com.au/content/page.jsp?ymd=20141014&content_id=98565276&fext=.jsp&sid=l595&vkey=history |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081130&content_id=3695971&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos |title=Tazawa officially in fold for Red Sox |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |date=December 4, 2008 |access-date=March 19, 2009 |author=Browne, Ian |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207084256/http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081130&content_id=3695971&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos |archive-date=December 7, 2008 }}</ref> The system does not work in reverse; it does not regulate MLB players, such as [[Alex Cabrera]], who moved to NPB.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/s/2001/0703/1221823.html |title=No Ichiro-type tale for Arias |date=July 3, 2001 |work=[[ESPN.com]] |access-date=November 20, 2008 |author=Caple, Jim |author-link=Jim Caple}}</ref>

==Process==
When a player under contract with a Nippon Professional Baseball team wishes to play in Major League Baseball, he must notify his current team's management and request that they make him available for posting during the next posting period (November 1 – March 1 through the 2013 season, and November 1 – February 1 in the current agreement).<ref name="mlb">{{cite news|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061114&content_id=1740635&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos |title=Matsuzaka posting system's latest gem |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |access-date=August 24, 2008 |date=November 14, 2006 |author=Singer, Tom}}</ref><ref name=Corcoran/> The NPB team can reject this request, and the player will not be posted.<ref name="Uehara">{{cite news |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2005/01/19/sports/uehara-eyeing-majors-for-2006/ |title=Uehara eyeing majors for 2006 |access-date=March 17, 2009 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |date=January 19, 2005}}</ref> However, if the team consents, the player is presented to the MLB Commissioner, who then notifies all MLB teams of the posted player.

In the original process, MLB held a four-day-long [[silent auction]] during which interested MLB teams submitted sealed bids in [[United States dollar|U.S. dollars]] to the Commissioner's Office. After the allotted four days passed, the Commissioner closed the bidding process and notified the posted player's NPB team of the highest bid amount but not who the bidding team was. The NPB team then had four days to either accept or reject the non-negotiable bid amount.<ref name="official">{{cite news |url=http://jpbpa.net/up_pdf/1284364663-401673.pdf |title=United States – Japanese Player Contract Agreement |access-date=March 27, 2009 |publisher=[[Japan Professional Baseball Players Association]] |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115628/http://jpbpa.net/up_pdf/1284364663-401673.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

If the bid was rejected, the NPB team retained rights to the player. If it was accepted, the successful MLB team was granted the exclusive rights to negotiate with the player for 30&nbsp;days. If the player and the MLB team agreed on contract terms before the 30-day period expired, the NPB team received the bid amount as a transfer fee within five business days. The player was then free to play for his new MLB team in the coming season.<ref name="official"/> The transfer fee was not included when calculating an MLB team's total payroll, which is subject to a [[luxury tax (sports)|luxury tax]] when it exceeds $155&nbsp;million.<ref name="rockerbie">{{cite news|url=http://mopupduty.com///mnt/w0400/d33/s19/b0289d90/www/mopupduty.com///wp-content/uploads/2008/01/japanesepostingrules.pdf |title=Peculiarities of the Major League Baseball Posting System |access-date=February 2, 2009 |author=Rockerbie, Duane W. |publisher=[[University of Lethbridge]] |date=July 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110721164454/http://mopupduty.com///mnt/w0400/d33/s19/b0289d90/www/mopupduty.com///wp-content/uploads/2008/01/japanesepostingrules.pdf |archive-date = July 21, 2011}}</ref><ref name="tax">{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081222&content_id=3726222&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy&partnerId=rss_nyy |title=Yankees, Tigers hit with luxury tax |access-date=February 2, 2009 |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |date=December 22, 2008 |author=Singer, Tom}}</ref> If the MLB team could not come to a contract agreement with the posted player, then no fee was paid and the rights to the player reverted to his NPB team. A player could request to be posted again in subsequent years, and the process would be repeated with no advantage to the club that had won the bidding the previous year.<ref name="official"/>

Under the current process (2017), the NPB team notifies the MLB Commissioner of a posting, with the posting fee determined by the value of the contract that a posted player eventually signs with an MLB organization. Once the MLB Commissioner announces the posting, the player has 45&nbsp;days to sign with an MLB team. Unlike the past system, in which only the team that won the bidding process had negotiating rights, the current system allows the posted player to negotiate with any MLB team willing to pay the posting fee. As in the previous process, if the player signs with an MLB team during the negotiating window, the signing team will pay the posting fee; otherwise, his rights revert to his NPB team. Also mirroring the past system, an unsuccessfully posted player can request a posting in a later year, with the process repeated.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/japanese-posting-system|title=Japanese Posting System|work=MLB|accessdate=October 21, 2024}}</ref>

==List of postings==
Of the 71&nbsp;[[List of Major League Baseball players from Japan|Japanese-born players who have played in MLB]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Players by birthplace : Japan Baseball Stats and Info |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/bio/Japan_born.shtml |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |access-date=July 9, 2014}}</ref> 22 have entered the league using the posting system. Since the system's creation in 1998, the 28&nbsp;players that have used it have experienced a range of success.<ref name="mlb"/> Of these 28, sixteen were immediately signed to Major League contracts and one player who drew no bids on his first posting was signed to a Major League contract on his second posting. These contracts range from $1.4&nbsp;million to $155&nbsp;million. Of the remaining twelve, four were signed to [[Minor League Baseball|Minor League]] contracts, three were unable to reach a contract agreement and six were unsuccessful in drawing bids from any Major League clubs (one player failed to draw bids during two separate postings). The following tables outline each posting and its outcome.

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Successful postings
|-
!scope="col"|Player
!scope="col"|Posting date
!scope="col"|[[Nippon Professional Baseball|NPB]] team
!scope="col"|[[Major League Baseball|MLB]] team
!scope="col"|Winning bid<br>or posting fee
!scope="col"|Date of contract<br>agreement
!scope="col"|MLB contract
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|Notes
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Alejandro|Díaz|Alejandro Díaz (baseball)}}
|{{dts|1999|2|2}}
|[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]]
|[[Cincinnati Reds]]
|$400,001
|{{dts|1999|3|2}}
|<span style="display:none">$0</span>Minor league contract
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://reds.enquirer.com/1999/03/03/red_reds_sign_quezada.html|title=Reds sign Quezada after all|access-date=March 31, 2008|work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]|date=March 3, 1999|author=Haft, Chris|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714182852/http://reds.enquirer.com/1999/03/03/red_reds_sign_quezada.html|archive-date=2012-07-14|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Ichiro|Suzuki}}
|{{dts|2000|11|9}}
|[[Orix Buffaloes|Orix BlueWave]]
|[[Seattle Mariners]]
|$13,125,000
|{{dts|2000|11|30}}
|<span style="display:none">$4,666,666</span>3&nbsp;years, $14&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2000/11/12/sports/ichiro-kinjo-are-the-talk-of-the-town/ |title=Ichiro, Kinjo are the talk of the town|access-date=May 18, 2009|work=[[The Japan Times]]|author=Graczyk, Wayne|date=November 12, 2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/2002/01/22/news/column_sportsbiz/|title=The latest Japanese import|access-date=November 20, 2008|publisher=[[CNNMoney.com]]|date=January 11, 2002|author=Isadore, Chris}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/s/suzukic01.shtml|title=Ichiro Suzuki Statistics|access-date=November 20, 2008|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Kazuhisa|Ishii}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2002|1|3}}
|[[Tokyo Yakult Swallows|Yakult Swallows]]
|[[Los Angeles Dodgers]]
|$11,260,000
|{{dts|2002|2|8}}
|<span style="display:none">$3,075,000</span>4&nbsp;years, $12.3&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/2002-02-06/2002-02-06-nlnotes.htm |title=National League Team Notes|access-date=March 31, 2008|work=[[USA Today]]|date=February 5, 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-50125927.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022104408/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-50125927.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 22, 2012|title=Dodgers, Ishii agree to $12.3 million, four-year deal|access-date=November 20, 2008|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=February 9, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/team/transactions/_/name/lad/year/2002/los-angeles-dodgers |title=Los Angeles Dodgers Transactions – 2002|access-date=November 20, 2008|work=[[ESPN.com]]}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Ramón|Ramírez|Ramón Ramírez (Dominican pitcher)|Ramirez, Ramon}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2003|2|6}}
|[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]]
|[[New York Yankees]]
|$350,000
|{{dts|2003|3|5}}
|<span style="display:none">$0</span>Minor league contract
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20030311a2.html|title=Yankees reach terms with ex-Carp|access-date=April 9, 2008|work=[[The Japan Times]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=February 7, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/r/ramirra02.shtml|title=Ramon Ramirez Statistics|access-date=November 20, 2008|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Akinori|Otsuka}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}{{ref|otsuka|§}}
|{{dts|2003|11|11}}
|[[Chunichi Dragons]]
|[[San Diego Padres]]
|$300,000
|{{dts|2003|12|9}}
|<span style="display:none">$750,000</span>2&nbsp;years, $1.5&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://padres.scout.com/2/211057.html|title=Padres sign Akinori Otsuka|access-date=March 31, 2008|publisher=[[Scout.com]]|date=December 10, 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716021329/http://padres.scout.com/2/211057.html|archive-date=July 16, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/o/otsukak01.shtml|title=Akinori Otsuka Statistics|access-date=November 20, 2008|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Norihiro|Nakamura}}
|{{dts|2005|1|28}}
|[[Orix Buffaloes]]
|[[Los Angeles Dodgers]]
|<span style="display:none">$0</span>Undisclosed{{ref|nakamura|ψ}}
|{{dts|2005|2|3}}
|<span style="display:none">$0</span>Minor league contract
|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=1982738|title=Nakamura once agreed with Mets|access-date=March 31, 2008|work=[[ESPN.com]]|date=February 3, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/n/nakamno01.shtml|title=Norihiro Nakamura Statistics|access-date=November 20, 2008|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Shinji|Mori}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2005|12|12}}
|[[Saitama Seibu Lions|Seibu Lions]]
|[[Tampa Bay Rays|Tampa Bay Devil Rays]]
|$750,000
|{{dts|2006|11|11}}
|<span style="display:none">$700,000</span>2&nbsp;years, $1.4&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sptimes.com/2006/02/26/Rays/New_home__sweet_home.shtml|title=(New) home, sweet home|access-date=March 31, 2008|work=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|author=Topkin, Marc|date=February 26, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/team/transactions/_/name/tb/year/2006/tampa-bay-rays |title=Tampa Bay Rays Transactions – 2006|access-date=November 20, 2008|work=[[ESPN.com]]}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Daisuke|Matsuzaka}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2006|11|2}}
|[[Saitama Seibu Lions|Seibu Lions]]
|[[Boston Red Sox]]
|$51,111,111.11{{ref|daisuke|†}}
|{{dts|2006|12|14}}
|<span style="display:none">$8,666,666</span>6&nbsp;year, $52&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2696321|title=Matsuzaka, Red Sox reach agreement on six-year deal|access-date=March 31, 2008|work=[[ESPN.com]]|date=February 23, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/m/matsuda01.shtml|title=Daisuke Matsuzaka Statistics|access-date=November 20, 2008|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Akinori|Iwamura}}
|{{dts|2006|11|6}}
|[[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]]
|[[Tampa Bay Rays|Tampa Bay Devil Rays]]
|$4,500,000
|{{dts|2006|12|15}}
|<span style="display:none">$2,566,666</span>3&nbsp;year, $7.7&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/scorecard/11/06/truth.rumors.mlb/index.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714110524/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/scorecard/11/06/truth.rumors.mlb/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2012|title=Scorecard Daily|access-date=November 20, 2008|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|date=November 6, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061215&content_id=1761827&vkey=news_tb&fext=.jsp&c_id=tb|title=Iwamura signs three-year deal|access-date=March 31, 2008|publisher=[[Major League Baseball]]|author=Chastain, Bill|date=December 15, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080418000446/http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061215&content_id=1761827&vkey=news_tb&fext=.jsp&c_id=tb|archive-date=April 18, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/i/iwamuak01.shtml|title=Akinori Iwamura Statistics|access-date=April 9, 2008|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Kei|Igawa}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2006|November|17}}
|[[Hanshin Tigers]]
|[[New York Yankees]]
|$26,000,194{{ref|igawa|‡}}
|{{dts|2006|December|27}}
|<span style="display:none">$4,000,000</span>5&nbsp;years, $20&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2666306|title=Bidding starts for Japanese pitcher Igawa's MLB rights|access-date=November 20, 2008|work=[[ESPN.com]]|date=November 17, 2006}}</ref><ref name="igawa">{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2709694|title=Igawa, Yankees complete five-year, $20 million deal|access-date=March 31, 2008|work=[[ESPN.com]]|date=December 27, 2006}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Tsuyoshi|Nishioka}}
|{{dts|2010|11|17}}
|[[Chiba Lotte Marines]]
|[[Minnesota Twins]]
|$5,329,000
|{{dts|2010|12|17}}
|<span style="display:none">$3,000,000</span>3&nbsp;years, $9&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20101128a1.html|title=Twins win posting rights for Nishioka|access-date=December 17, 2010|work=[[The Japan Times]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=November 28, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=5931136|title=Twins, Tsuyoshi Nishioka agree to terms|access-date=December 17, 2010|work=[[ESPN.com]]|date=November 28, 2010}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Norichika|Aoki}}
|{{dts|2011|12|12}}
|[[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]]
|[[Milwaukee Brewers]]
|$2,500,000
|{{dts|2012|1|17}}
|<span style="display:none">$1,250,000</span>2&nbsp;years, $2.5&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/7365232/milwaukee-brewers-claim-rights-sign-japan-star-norichika-aoki |title= Brewers win Norichika Aoki bid rights |work=ESPN.com |date=December 18, 2011 |access-date=December 18, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.foxsportswisconsin.com/01/23/12/Aoki-will-make-25-million-with-Brewers/landing_brewers.html?blockID=651530 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130123175509/http://www.foxsportswisconsin.com/01/23/12/Aoki-will-make-25-million-with-Brewers/landing_brewers.html?blockID=651530 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 23, 2013 |title=Aoki will make $2.5 million with Brewers |work=[[Fox Sports Wisconsin]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=January 23, 2012 |access-date=February 25, 2012 }}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Yu|Darvish}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2011|12|8}}
|[[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]]
|[[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]]
|$51,703,411{{ref|darvish|€}}
|{{dts|2012|1|18}}
|<span style="display:none">$10,000,000</span>6&nbsp;years, $60&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/sports/baseball/japanese-team-will-make-pitcher-yu-darvish-available.html |title=Japanese Star Pitcher Available, for a Price |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 8, 2011 |access-date=January 21, 2013 |author=Waldstein, David}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111219&content_id=26202356&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb |title=Rangers win rights to Darvish with record bid |work=MLB.com |date=December 20, 2011 |access-date=December 20, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yu-darvish-texas-rangers-agree-60-million-six-year-contract-totaling-111-million-investments-record-posting-fee-article-1.1008468 |title=Yu Darvish and Texas Rangers agree to $60 million, six-year contract, totaling more than $111 million in investments with a record posting fee |work=[[Daily News (New York)|New York Daily News]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=January 18, 2012 |access-date=January 21, 2013}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Masahiro|Tanaka}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2013|12|26}}
|[[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles]]
|[[New York Yankees]]
|$20,000,000
|{{dts|2014|1|22}}
|<span style="display:none">$22,142,857</span>7&nbsp;years, $155&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/12/27/baseball/posting-period-for-tanaka-starts/ |title=Posting period for Tanaka starts |newspaper=[[The Japan Times]] |date=December 27, 2013 |access-date=January 21, 2014 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828163056/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/12/27/baseball/posting-period-for-tanaka-starts/|archive-date=2016-08-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/masahiro-tanaka-signs-seven-year-155-million-contract-with-new-york-yankees/c-66923096 |title=Tanaka signs $155 million contract with Yankees |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |author=Hoch, Bryan |date=January 23, 2014 |access-date=November 26, 2020}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Kenta|Maeda}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2015|12|10}}
|[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]]
|[[Los Angeles Dodgers]]
|$20,000,000
|{{dts|2016|1|07}}
|<span style="display:none">$3,120,000</span>8&nbsp;years, $25&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sanspo.com/baseball/news/20151215/car15121503330001-n2.html |title=マエケンが緊急渡米！総額１００億円争奪戦本格スタート |newspaper=[[Sankei Sports]] |language=ja |trans-title=Maeda urgently visits the United States! ¥10 billion competition starts |date=December 15, 2015 |access-date=November 26, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2016/01/07/meada-dodgers-finalize-25m-deal-that-could-be-worth-106m/78435038/ |title=Kenta Maeda, Dodgers finalize $25M deal that could be worth $106M |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=January 7, 2016 |access-date=November 26, 2020 |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Shohei|Ohtani}}{{ref|twoway|2W}}
|{{dts|2017|12|1}}
|[[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]]
|[[Los Angeles Angels]]
|$20,000,000
|{{dts|2017|12|8}}
|<span style="display:none">$0</span>Minor league contract
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/shohei-ohtani-reportedly-has-meetings-with-mlb-teams-scheduled-for-next-week/ |title=Shohei Ohtani reportedly has meetings with MLB teams scheduled for next week |work=[[CBS Sports]] |date=December 2, 2017 |access-date=November 26, 2020 |author=Axisa, Mike}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/21712038/shohei-ohtani-sign-los-angeles-angels |title=Two-way Japanese star Shohei Ohtani agrees to sign with Angels |work=[[ESPN.com]] |date=December 8, 2017 |access-date=November 26, 2020}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Kazuhisa|Makita}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2017|12|11}}
|[[Saitama Seibu Lions]]
|[[San Diego Padres]]
|$500,000
|{{dts|2018|1|6}}
|<span style="display:none">$3,120,000</span>2&nbsp;years, $3.8&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sanspo.com/baseball/news/20171212/lio17121205030002-n1.html |title=牧田、ポスティング申請！西武は"申請残留"認める方針 |newspaper=[[Sankei Sports]] |language=ja |trans-title=Makita posting application! Seibu policy to allow "residual application" |date=December 12, 2017 |access-date=November 26, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/padres-kazuhisa-makita-agree-to-deal/c-264357908 |title=Padres sign Japanese right-hander Makita |work=[[MLB.com]] |date=January 6, 2018 |access-date=November 26, 2020 |author=Macklin, Oliver}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2018/01/09/makita-guaranteed-3-8-million-in-2-year-deal-with-padres/109300202/ |title=Kazuhisa Makita guaranteed $3.8 million in 2-year deal with Padres |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=January 9, 2018 |access-date=November 26, 2020 |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Yusei|Kikuchi}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2018|12|3}}
|[[Saitama Seibu Lions]]
|[[Seattle Mariners]]
|$10,275,000{{ref|Kikuchi|µ}}
|{{dts|2019|1|2}}
|<span style="display:none">$14,000,000</span>4&nbsp;years, $56&nbsp;million
| <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/yusei-kikuchi-to-be-posted-for-mlb-teams-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-japanese-lefty/ |title=Yusei Kikuchi posted for MLB teams: Everything you need to know about the Japanese lefty |first=Mike |last=Axisa |website=[[CBSSports.com]] |date=December 3, 2018 |access-date=January 7, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Kikuchi signing">{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/25658933/seattle-mariners-japanese-lefty-yusei-kikuchi-agree-four-year-deal |title=Mariners announce signing of free-agent lefty Yusei Kikuchi |first=Jeff |last=Passan |website=ESPN.com |date=January 2, 2019 |access-date=January 7, 2019}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Yoshi|Tsutsugo}}
|November 18, 2019
|[[Yokohama DeNA BayStars]]
|[[Tampa Bay Rays]]
|$2,400,000
|December 16, 2019
|<span style="display:none">$6,000,000</span>2&nbsp;years, $12&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXLSSXK20051_Z11C19A1000000/ |title=筒香の交渉期限は12月20日 MLB、全30球団に通知 |work=[[The Nikkei]] |language=ja |access-date=November 26, 2020 |date=November 19, 2019| trans-title=Tsutsugo's negotiation deadline is December 20th, all 30 MLB teams have been notified}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/yoshitomo-tsutsugo-signs-rays |title=Rays finalize 2-year deal with Tsutsugo |work=[[MLB.com]] |access-date=November 26, 2020 |date=December 16, 2019 |author=Toribio, Juan}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Shun|Yamaguchi}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|December 3, 2019
|[[Yomiuri Giants]]
|[[Toronto Blue Jays]]
|$1,270,000
|December 27, 2019
|<span style="display:none">$3,175,000</span>2&nbsp;years, $6.35&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nishinippon.co.jp/nsp/item/o/565010/ |title=山口俊投手、米球団と交渉解禁 |language=ja |work=[[Nishinippon Shimbun]] |access-date=November 26, 2020 |date=December 3, 2019 |agency=[[Kyodo News]] |trans-title=Pitcher Shun Yamaguchi opens negotiations with US baseball teams}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/news/blue-jays-shun-yamaguchi-deal |title=Yamaguchi's deal with Blue Jays finalized |work=[[MLB.com]] |access-date=November 26, 2020 |date=December 28, 2019 |author=Matheson, Keegan}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Kohei|Arihara}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|November 26, 2020
|[[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]]
|[[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]]
|$1,240,000
|December 26, 2020
|<span style="display:none">$3,100,000</span>2&nbsp;years, $6.2&nbsp;million
|<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/rangers/press-release/press-release-texas-rangers-sign-free-agent-rhp-kohei-arihara-to-two-year-contra | title=Texas Rangers sign free agent RHP Kohei Arihara to two-year contract | work=MLB.com Press Release | date=December 26, 2020 | access-date=December 27, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite web | url=https://www.fighters.co.jp/news/detail/00003014.html | title=有原投手とテキサス・レンジャーズとの契約が成立 | work=北海道日本ハムファイターズ オフィシャルサイト | language=ja | date=December 27, 2020 | access-date=January 3, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/japan-pitcher-kohei-arihara-posted |title=Righty Arihara posted by Japanese club  |work=[[MLB.com]] |date=November 26, 2020 |access-date=December 31, 2020 |author=Adler, David}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/52f20af5e4e61986a70fab96c80c4f5240f5b71e |title=【MLB】有原のレンジャーズ移籍が正式決定 2年620万ドルとの報道 |trans-title=MLB: Arihara's move to the Rangers is official, reportedly for two years and $6.2 million |publisher=[[Yahoo! Japan]] |language=ja |date=December 27, 2020 |access-date=December 31, 2020}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Seiya|Suzuki}}
|November 22, 2021
|[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]]
|[[Chicago Cubs]]
|$12,350,000
|March 19, 2022
|5 years, $85 million
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Seiya Suzuki signs 5-year deal with Cubs |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/seiya-suzuki-deal-with-cubs |access-date=2022-04-18 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Morris |first=Adam J. |date=2022-03-16 |title=Suzuki to Cubs: 5 years, $85 million per reports |url=https://www.lonestarball.com/2022/3/16/22980767/mlb-free-agent-rumors-seiya-suzuki-chicago-cubs |access-date=2022-04-18 |website=Lone Star Ball |language=en}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Masataka|Yoshida}}
|December 7, 2022
|[[Orix Buffaloes]]
|[[Boston Red Sox]]
|$15,375,000
|December 15, 2022
|5 years, $90 million
|<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/red-sox-introduce-masataka-yoshida | title=Why Yoshida chose Sox: 'The best one of all 30 teams' |first=Ian |last=Browne | website=[[MLB.com]] |date=December 15, 2022}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Shintaro|Fujinami}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|December 1, 2022
|[[Hanshin Tigers]]
|[[Oakland Athletics]]
|$650,000
|January 13, 2023
|1 year, $3.25 million
|<ref>{{cite web |title=Shintaro Fujinami agrees to deal with Athletics |url=https://www.mlb.com/athletics/news/shintaro-fujinami-agrees-to-deal-with-athletics |work=[[MLB.com]] |accessdate=January 15, 2023}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Yoshinobu|Yamamoto}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|November 20, 2023
|[[Orix Buffaloes]]
|[[Los Angeles Dodgers]]
|$50,625,000 
|December 27, 2023
|12 year, $325 million
|<ref>{{cite web |title=It's official: Yamamoto joins Dodgers on 12-year deal |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/yoshinobu-yamamoto-dodgers-free-agent-deal |work=[[MLB.com]] |date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://apnews.com/article/yamamoto-dodgers-contract-6db9b90240352c39ebe08830c8c03c01 | title=Yamamoto's contract with Dodgers includes 2 opt outs, but timing depends on elbow health | website=[[Associated Press News]] | date=2 January 2024 }}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Shota|Imanaga}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|November 27, 2023
|[[Yokohama DeNA BayStars]]
|[[Chicago Cubs]]
|$9,825,000
|January 11, 2024
|4 year, $53 million
|<ref>{{cite web |title=Sources: Cubs, lefty Shota Imanaga finalizing 4-year, $53M deal |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/sources-cubs-lefty-shota-imanaga-finalizing-4-year/story?id=106278211 |work=ABC News |date=January 10, 2024|accessdate=October 21, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/shota-imanaga-cubs-deal|title=Cubs finalize 4-year deal with Japanese lefty Imanaga|work=MLB|date=January 11, 2024|accessdate=October 21, 2024}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Naoyuki|Uwasawa}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|November 27, 2023
|[[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]]
|[[Tampa Bay Rays]]
|$6,250
|January 11, 2024
|Minor league contract
|<ref>{{cite web |title=Breaking down Rays' intriguing deal with Japanese righty |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/naoyuki-uwasawa-deal-with-rays-provides-depth-upside |work=[[MLB.com]] |date=January 19, 2024|accessdate=October 21, 2024}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Koyo|Aoyagi}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|December 3, 2024
|[[Hanshin Tigers]]
|[[Philadelphia Phillies]]
|TBD
|January 17, 2025
|Minor league contract
|<ref>{{cite news |last1=Franco |first1=Anthony |title=Phillies Sign Koyo Aoyagi To Minor League Deal |url=https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/phillies-sign-koyo-aoyagi-to-minor-league-deal.html |access-date=January 17, 2025 |work=MLB Trade Rumors |publisher=Trade Rumors |date=January 17, 2025}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Roki|Sasaki}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|December 9, 2024
|[[Chiba Lotte Marines]]
|[[Los Angeles Dodgers]]
|$1,625,000
|January 17, 2025
|Minor league contract
|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/roki-sasaki-contract-with-dodgers|title=Japanese phenom Sasaki picks the Dodgers|date=January 24, 2025|accessdate=January 23, 2025|publisher=MLB.com}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Shinnosuke|Ogasawara}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|December 10, 2024
|[[Chunichi Dragons]]
|[[Washington Nationals]]
|$700,000
|January 24, 2025
|2 year, $3.5 million
|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/shinnosuke-ogasawara-nationals-contract-v68095|title=Left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara and Nationals agree to a $3.5 million, 2-year contract|date=January 24, 2025|accessdate=January 24, 2025|publisher=Newsday}}</ref>
|}
{{smalldiv|1=
:{{note|otsuka|§}}This was Otsuka's second attempt to play in MLB after an unsuccessful posting the previous year.
:{{note|nakamura|ψ}}Though MLB teams traditionally disclosed bid amounts after negotiating rights were won, the Dodgers chose not to publicly reveal their amount.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DODGERS+WIN+NAKAMURA'S+RIGHTS.(Sports)-a0128394736|title=Dodgers Win Nakamura's Rights.|access-date=May 19, 2008|work=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]|date=February 1, 2005|author=Jackson, Tony}}</ref>
:{{note|daisuke|†}}This specific amount was chosen by Red Sox owner [[John W. Henry|John Henry]] because he deemed it lucky.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/red_sox/?p=804|title=Why $51,111,111.11? John Henry explains|access-date=April 9, 2008|work=[[Boston Herald]]|date=December 15, 2006}}</ref>
:{{note|igawa|‡}}The final three digits, 194, represent Igawa's total strikeout count for his [[2006 in baseball|2006 season]].<ref name="igawa"/>
:{{note|darvish|€}}The final four digits represent two significant player numbers—34 was the number that [[Nolan Ryan]], then Rangers principal owner and CEO, wore when he played for the team, and 11 was Darvish's number with the Fighters.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/dallas/mlb/story/_/id/7480693/texas-rangers-did-their-homework-went-extra-mile-yu-darvish |title=Rangers did homework on Yu Darvish |first=Richard |last=Durrett |work=[[ESPN.com|ESPNDallas.com]] |date=January 20, 2012 |access-date=January 26, 2012}}</ref>
:{{note|Kikuchi|µ}}The posting fee is based on a guaranteed contract value of $56&nbsp;million. The base contract guarantees three years for $43&nbsp;million plus a player option for a fourth year at $13&nbsp;million. The Mariners, however, have the right to sign Kikuchi to a four-year, $66&nbsp;million-extension after the first three years. If the team option is exercised instead of the player option, the Mariners will instead pay a total of $18,050,000 to Seibu.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2019/01/07/baseball/japanese-baseball/kikuchis-move-shows-revised-posting-system-not-great-npb-clubs/ |title=Yusei Kikuchi's move shows revised posting system not great for NPB clubs |access-date=November 26, 2020 |work=[[The Japan Times]]| date=January 7, 2019 |author=Coskrey, Jason}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://mainichi.jp/articles/20190104/k00/00m/050/215000c |title=譲渡金は変動、西武へ最低11億円 菊池のマリナーズ移籍で |access-date=November 26, 2020 |work=[[Mainichi Shimbun]]| date=January 4, 2019 |trans-title=Transfer money fluctuates, at least ¥1.1&nbsp;billion to Seibu with Kikuchi's transfer to Mariners |language=ja}}</ref>
:{{note|pitcher|P}}This player is a [[pitcher]].
:{{note|twoway|2W}}This individual is a two-way player (both a pitcher and position player).
}}

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" cellpadding="0"
|+ Unsuccessful postings
|-
!scope="col"|Player
!scope="col"|Posting date
!scope="col"|[[Nippon Professional Baseball|NPB]] team
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|Result
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|Notes
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Timo|Pérez}}
|{{dts|1999|2|2}}
|[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]]
|Pérez did not draw any bids from an MLB team and re-signed with the Carp for one season. His contract was purchased by the [[New York Mets]] on March 27, 2000.
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/2006-11-22-japanese-imports_x.htm|title=Rising sons make grade in majors|access-date=November 20, 2008|work=[[USA Today]]|date=November 22, 2006|author=White, Paul}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/p/perezti01.shtml|title=Timo Perez Statistics|access-date=November 20, 2008|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Akinori|Otsuka}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2002|12|18}}
|[[Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes|Kintetsu Buffaloes]]
|Otsuka did not draw any bids from an MLB team. He signed with the [[Chunichi Dragons]] on March 20, 2003 for [[Japanese Yen|¥]]95&nbsp;million ($800,404 in 2003).
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2003/03/21/sports/buffaloes-deal-otsuka-to-dragons/|title=Buffaloes deal Otsuka to Dragons|access-date=April 9, 2008|work=[[The Japan Times]]|agency=[[Kyodo News]]|date=March 21, 2003}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Yusaku|Iriki}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2005|11|22}}
|[[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters]]
|Iriki did not draw any bids from an MLB team and was released by the Fighters on December 5, 2005. He was later signed by the [[New York Mets]] on January 18, 2006 to a one-year, $750,000 contract.
|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/19/sports/baseball/19mets.html|title=Japanese Pitcher Channels His Inner Warrior|access-date=March 31, 2008|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Shpigel, Ben|date=February 19, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20060120a1.html|title=Iriki to pitch for Mets|access-date=April 4, 2008|work=[[The Japan Times]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=January 20, 2006}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Koji|Mitsui}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2008|12|18}}
|[[Saitama Seibu Lions]]
|Mitsui did not draw any bids from an MLB team. He was re-posted the next month.
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nikkansports.com/baseball/news/p-bb-tp0-20081217-440988.html|script-title=ja:三井に複数球団興味24日にも「入札結果」|access-date=January 20, 2009|work=[[Nikkan Sports]]|date=December 17, 2008|language=ja}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Koji|Mitsui}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}{{ref|mitsui|§}}
|{{dts|2009|1|8}}
|[[Saitama Seibu Lions]]
|Mitsui again did not draw any bids from an MLB team. He was re-signed by the Lions on January 20, 2009, to a one-year, [[Japanese Yen|¥]]57&nbsp;million ($594,453 in 2009) contract.
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2009/01/06/sports/seibus-mitsui-to-be-posted-again/|title=Seibu's Mitsui to be 'posted' again|access-date=January 20, 2009|work=[[The Japan Times]]|agency=[[Kyodo News]]|date=January 6, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nikkansports.com/baseball/news/p-bb-tp0-20090121-452145.html|script-title=ja:西武残留三井「迷惑料」1300万円減に納得|language=ja|access-date=February 24, 2009|work=[[Nikkan Sports]]|date=January 21, 2009}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Hisashi|Iwakuma}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2010|11|1}}
|[[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles]]
|The [[Oakland Athletics|Oakland A's]] were awarded exclusive negotiating rights on November 7, 2010, after bidding $19.1&nbsp;million. Contract negotiations ended without an agreement and Iwakuma returned to the Eagles.
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2010/11/10/sports/athletics-win-bidding-for-veteran-hurler-iwakuma/|title=Athletics win bidding for veteran hurler Iwakuma|access-date=December 11, 2010|work=[[The Japan Times]]|agency=[[Kyodo News]]|date=November 10, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2010/12/07/sports/iwakuma-gives-up-on-making-move-to-mlb/|title=Iwakuma gives up on making move to MLB|access-date=December 11, 2010|work=[[The Japan Times]]|agency=[[Kyodo News]]|date=December 7, 2010}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Hiroki|Sanada}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2011|11|23}}
|[[Yokohama DeNA BayStars|Yokohama Baystars]]
|Sanada did not draw any bids from an MLB team. He was later released by the BayStars.
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120118&content_id=26375470&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb |title=Clubs more cautious with Japan's talent pool |access-date=January 21, 2014 |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |date=January 18, 2012 |author=Singer, Tom}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Hiroyuki|Nakajima}}
|{{dts|2011|11|28}}
|[[Saitama Seibu Lions]]
|The [[New York Yankees]] were awarded exclusive negotiating rights after bidding $2.5&nbsp;million. Contract negotiations ended without an agreement and Nakajima returned to the Lions.
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2011/11/30/sports/lions-nakajima-posted-to-majors/|title=Lions' Nakajima posted to majors|access-date=December 8, 2011|work=[[The Japan Times]]|agency=[[Kyodo News]]|date=November 30, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/7428402/new-york-yankees-make-deal-japan-hiroyuki-nakajima|title=Yanks, Hiroyuki Nakajima don't agree|access-date=January 5, 2012|publisher=[[ESPN.com]]|work=ESPN New York|date=January 16, 2012}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Tony|Barnette}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2015|11|02}}
|[[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]]
|Barnette did not draw any bids from an MLB team and was released by the Swallows. He was later signed by the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] on December 15, 2015 to a two-year, $3.5&nbsp;million contract.
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2015/11/02/baseball/japanese-baseball/swallows-post-closer-barnette/|title=Swallows to post closer Barnette|access-date=February 20, 2017|work=[[The Japan Times]]|agency=[[Kyodo News]]|date=November 2, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2015/12/16/baseball/mlb/barnette-agrees-deal-rangers/|title=Barnette agrees to deal with Rangers|access-date=February 20, 2017|work=[[The Japan Times]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=December 16, 2015}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Ryosuke|Kikuchi}}
|{{dts|2019|12|03}}
|[[Hiroshima Toyo Carp]]
|Kikuchi did not secure a contract with any MLB team and instead signed a 4-year contract extension worth [[Japanese Yen|¥]]1.2&nbsp;billion ($10.8&nbsp;million in 2019) with the Carp on December 27, 2019.
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2019/12/4fff37455745-baseball-carp-submit-application-to-post-kikuchi-to-majors.html |title=Carp submit application to post Ryosuke Kikuchi to majors |publisher=[[Kyodo News]] |access-date=November 26, 2020 |date=December 3, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2019/12/27/baseball/japanese-baseball/ryosuke-kikuchi-returning-carp-failing-secure-mlb-contract/|title=Ryosuke Kikuchi returning to Carp after failing to secure MLB contract |date=December 27, 2019 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |access-date=November 26, 2020|agency=[[Kyodo News]]}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Haruki|Nishikawa}}
|{{dts|2020|12|03}}
|[[Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters]]
|Nishikawa did not secure a deal with any of the MLB teams.
|<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://full-count.jp/2021/01/03/post1017778/ | title=日本ハム、西川遥輝のポスティング不成立を発表 メジャー移籍は叶わず | work=Full-Count | language=ja | date=January 3, 2021 | access-date=January 3, 2021 }}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|{{sortname|Tomoyuki|Sugano}}{{ref|pitcher|P}}
|{{dts|2020|12|08}}
|[[Yomiuri Giants]]
|On January 7, 2021, Sugano's posting period ended and he didn't sign with an MLB team, re-signing with the Giants.
|<ref>{{ cite web | url=https://www.giants.jp/G/gnews/news_3915502.html | title=菅野投手の海外ポスティング申請について | work=読売巨人軍公式サイト | language=ja | date=December 8, 2020 | access-date=January 8, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite web | url=https://www.giants.jp/G/gnews/news_3915558.html | title=菅野智之投手のポスティング手続きについて | work=読売巨人軍公式サイト | language=ja | date=January 8, 2021 | access-date=January 8, 2021 }}</ref>
|}
{{smalldiv|1=
:{{note|mitsui|§}}This is the only instance that a player has posted more than once in the same posting period.
:{{note|pitcher|P}}This player is a [[pitcher]].
}}

==Criticism==
Since its implementation in late 1998 the posting system has been heavily criticized. Ichiro Suzuki's agent remarked that "the player literally gets zero advantage from [the posting system]... the Japanese teams benefit by holding the players hostage". Don Nomura called the process a "slave auction".<ref name="p. 146"/> Much of the criticism of the system stems from its forcing NPB players to negotiate their contracts solely with the MLB team that submitted the highest bid. ''[[The Japan Times]]'' columnist Marty Kuehnert believes that since no other team is allowed to submit competitive counter-offers, negotiations result in salaries below the player's [[market value]]. Kuehnert also believes the system fosters a "take-it-or-leave-it" situation; if the team and the player have not finalized contract negotiations by the end of a 30-day period, the team can make a low offer knowing that the player's only other option is to play in Japan for another year.<ref name="bad system">{{cite news|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sp20001105mk.html |title=Ichiro trying to make best of bad system  |access-date=March 17, 2009 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |date=November 5, 2000}}</ref> It has been suggested that this is a violation of the Anti-Monopoly Act, a Japanese [[Competition law|antitrust law]] that prohibits parties from signing an international agreement or contract that "contains such matters as constitute an unreasonable restraint of trade or unfair business practices".<ref>Siesta 2008, p. 1092.</ref>

The [[Japan Professional Baseball Players Association]] (JPBPA) was not consulted before the system was implemented by NPB club owners, and did not subsequently ratify it.<ref name="p. 147">Whiting 2004, p. 147.</ref> Since its introduction JPBPA has expressed many concerns, likening the process to "[[human trafficking]]".<ref>Siesta 2008, p. 1095.</ref> Agreeing that the system  takes unfair advantage of NPB players, the MLBPA offered to help JPBPA fight the posting system in court. However, according to one JPBPA official, the Japanese court process is too long and involved; therefore, the "problem can't be helped".<ref name="p. 147"/>

[[Yomiuri Giants]] club representative Hidetoshi Kiyotake has expressed dislike of the system, because it enables Major League Baseball to poach players from Japan. By using the posting system, he says, Japanese teams make a profit in the short term, but by allowing Japan's best players to be sold to MLB, NPB teams and Japanese baseball suffer in the longer term.<ref name="whiting">{{cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2007/04/11/baseball/is-the-mlb-destroying-japans-national-pastime/ |title=Is the MLB destroying Japan's national pastime? |access-date=March 18, 2009 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |date=April 11, 2007 |author=Whiting, Robert| author-link=Robert Whiting}}</ref> When Giants pitcher [[Koji Uehara]] asked to be posted in 2005, Kiyotake denied his request, saying: "We don't recognize the posting system. I've said from the beginning that this is out of the question."<ref name="Uehara"/>

In the middle of the 2012–13 posting season, MLB approached NPB seeking to change the way MLB teams bid for the right to negotiate with NPB players. Instead of using a silent auction in which teams bid blindly, MLB would prefer its teams to participate in a traditional, open auction where the bids are known and teams can knowingly outbid each other. Such a change would likely lower the price of the transfer fees paid to NPB teams. MLB and the players' unions agree that they'd prefer to see the players receive more money for the transfer rather than the teams.<ref name="passan">{{cite news|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/news/mlb-seeking-changes-to-posting-system-for-players-from-japan-203422114.html |title=MLB seeking changes to posting system for players from Japan |access-date=December 19, 2012 |work=[[Yahoo! Sports]] |date=November 30, 2012 |author=Passan, Jeff| author-link=Jeff Passan}}</ref> ''The Japan Times'' columnist Jason Coskrey also believed that these talks provided the JPBPA an opportunity to voice their concerns about the posting system and attempt to gain more leverage for themselves during the posting process.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2012/12/04/sports/npb-players-should-speak-out-about-posting-system/ |title=NPB players should speak out about posting system |access-date=December 19, 2012 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |date=December 4, 2012 |author=Coskrey, Jason}}</ref> The new agreement, as noted, was announced on December 16, 2013, with most of the changes desired by MLB and players from both leagues.<ref name=Corcoran/>

===2006–07 controversy===
[[Image:WBC2006 Daisuke Matsuzaka.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A young Japanese man wearing a dark blue and grey Japan national baseball uniform stands on a pitching mound.|The posting system was criticized after the [[Boston Red Sox]] paid a total of $103.1&nbsp;million to sign pitcher [[Daisuke Matsuzaka]].]]
The posting system was criticized by MLB insiders and by the U.S. media, after the controversial 2006–07 posting period. Before the posting of the period's first player, [[Daisuke Matsuzaka]], in early November 2006, there was speculation that he might draw bids as high as $30&nbsp;million&mdash;more than twice the previous record bid  that [[Ichiro Suzuki]] had garnered in 2000–01.<ref name="kurkjian">{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=kurkjian_tim&id=2697354&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos2 |title=Posting process needs to be altered |author=Kurkjian, Tim |access-date=January 20, 2009 |work=[[ESPN The Magazine]] |date=December 16, 2006 |author-link=Tim Kurkjian}}</ref> After his silent auction was closed, it was revealed that Matsuzaka had drawn a bid of $51.1&nbsp;million, shocking American and Japanese baseball executives.<ref name="Sloan">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-baseball-japan-yankees-idUSSP15866320070201 |title=Japan player posting system needs review, say Yankees |access-date=January 20, 2009 |author= Sloan, Dan |work=Reuters|date=February 1, 2007}}</ref> The [[Boston Red Sox]]'s winning bid was more than $11&nbsp;million higher than the next largest.<ref name="kurkjian"/>

With the negotiations between Matsuzaka and the Red Sox at a stalemate as the negotiation period neared its close, ''[[The Washington Post]]''{{'s}} Dave Sheinin questioned both parties' intentions. Sheinin believed that the Red Sox had foreseen the contractual stalemate and had submitted a high bid simply to deny the New York Yankees an opportunity to negotiate with Matsuzaka. However, after Matsuzaka's agent [[Scott Boras]] threatened to take Matsuzaka back to NPB if his price was not met, Sheinin theorized that Boras intentionally wanted to hinder contract negotiations.<ref name="Washington Post">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/12/AR2006121201349_pf.html |title=Red Sox' Talks With Matsuzaka at Endpoint |access-date=February 2, 2009 |author=Sheinin, Dave |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=December 13, 2006}}</ref> ''[[ESPN The Magazine]]'''s [[Tim Kurkjian]] described the situation as "the most obvious [[chicken (game)|game of chicken]] ever."<ref name="kurkjian"/> Sheinin suggested that, should the negotiations fail, Boras could take legal action on the grounds that the requirement of MLB teams to pay large transfer fees to NPB teams artificially depressed the player's personal contract. Boras did not believe that the transfer fee should affect the player's compensation.<ref name="Washington Post"/>

Despite the negotiation difficulties, the Boston Red Sox eventually signed Matsuzaka. The team paid approximately $103.1&nbsp;million in total, including the transfer fee and contract, to acquire the pitcher. Kurkjian believes that with fees and contracts this high, small-market teams could not afford to compete with large-market teams for the rights to negotiate with some posted Japanese players. Kurkjian blames the posting system's use of a blind bidding system as the cause of Matsuzaka's "outrageous offer."<ref name="kurkjian"/> He also postulates that Matsuzaka's high bid amount helped to inflate the bids for [[Kei Igawa]] who was posted two weeks later, perpetuating the problem further.<ref name="kurkjian"/> After winning the negotiation rights to Igawa, Yankees' [[General manager (baseball)|general manager]] [[Brian Cashman]] told reporters that "the posting system, clearly with what took place this winter, might not necessarily be the best system". Kurkjian claims that other MLB executives already believe that a traditional free agent structure, where the highest bidder wins, would be better than the current system.<ref name="kurkjian"/> Cashman and Yankees team president [[Randy Levine]] met with NPB team officials in early 2007 to discuss the posting system, among other things. These meetings did not result in any immediate changes.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2007/02/02/sports/cashman-levine-take-show-from-china-to-japan/ |title=Cashman, Levine take show from China to Japan |access-date=March 17, 2009 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |date=February 2, 2007}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Baseball in Japan]]
*[[Transfer (association football)|Transfer]] in [[association football]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
*{{cite book |last=Klein |first=Alan M. |title=Growing the Game: The Globalization of Major League Baseball |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |date=September 2006 |isbn=978-0-300-11045-6}}
*{{cite journal |last=Siesta |first=Victoria J. |year=2008 |title=Out at Home: Challenging the United States-Japanese Player Contract Agreement Under Japanese Law |journal=Brooklyn Journal of International Law |volume=33 |issue=3 |url=https://www.brooklaw.edu/~/media/PDF/LawJournals/BJI_PDF/bji_vol33iii.ashx#page=292 |access-date=April 3, 2011 |format=PDF}}
*{{cite book |last=Whiting |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Whiting |title=The Meaning of Ichiro: The New Wave from Japan and the Transformation of Our National Pastime |publisher=[[Hachette Book Group USA|Warner Books]] |date=April 2004 |isbn=978-0-446-53192-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/meaningofichiron00whit }}

==External links==
*[https://www.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/japanese-posting-system What is a Japanese Posting System]
*United States &ndash; Japanese Player Contract Agreement (posting system 1998–2013): [http://jpbpa.net/up_pdf/1284364663-401673.pdf English] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115628/http://jpbpa.net/up_pdf/1284364663-401673.pdf |date=2016-03-04 }}, [http://jpbpa.net/up_pdf/1284364643-511410.pdf Japanese]

{{featured article}}

[[Category:Major League Baseball labor relations]]
[[Category:Nippon Professional Baseball]]
[[Category:History of baseball]]