Another year of MLB free agency is underway and that means that, in addition to the hot stove firing up, the Japanese Posting System will once again become a topic of discussion as some of Japan's top professional baseball players take their talents stateside. One such star player, infielder Munetaka Murakami, was officially posted on Friday. But what does the term 'posted' mean? And how does the Japanese Posting System work in MLB?
What does the term posted mean?
Posting is a process that occurs when an eligible player in the Nippon Professional Baseball league would like to play in MLB. The player notifies his team's management of his desire to play in MLB, and requests that he be made available for posting during the next posting period.
When is the posting period?
While it has changed in past iterations of the posting system, the current posting period is from November 1 to December 5, meaning players can be posted anytime between those dates.
Which players are eligible to be posted?
NPB players with no more than nine years of experience are eligible to be posted. Both the player and his team must agree to the posting before the process plays out.
What is the exact process of posting?
All 30 MLB clubs have 45 days to negotiate terms of a contract with a player after he has been posted. Once a contract is agreed upon between the player and an MLB team, the MLB team must pay a release fee to the player‘s NPB team. If no contract is agreed upon between player and MLB team in the 45 days, the player will return to the NPB team for the ensuing season and cannot be posted again until the following offseason.
How do the release fees work?
The release fee amounts to a certain percentage of the agreed upon contract between player and MLB team.
Value of MLB Contract
Release Fee
$25 million or less
20% of the total guaranteed contract value
Between $25,000,001 and $50 million
20% of the first $25 million, plus 17.5% of the total guaranteed value exceeding $25 million
$50,000,001 or more
20% of the first $25 million, plus 17.5% of the next $25 million, plus 15% of the total guaranteed value exceeding $50 million
For all minor league contracts, the release fee will be 25% of the signing bonus. For minor league contracts that contain MLB terms, a supplemental fee will be owed to the NPB team if the player is added to the 25-man roster. If a posted player signs a contract that includes bonuses, salary escalators or options, a supplemental fee equal to 15% of any bonus or salary escalators earned by the player will be owed to the Japanese team and/or a 15% of any option that is exercised.
Are there any caveats to the posting system?
Yes. Unless foreign-born players are at least 25 years old and have played professionally for at least six seasons in a foreign league recognized by MLB, they will be subject to international bonus pool money restrictions. One such example occurred this past offseason, when 23-year-old Rōki Sasaki, who ultimately signed with the Dodgers, was considered an international amateur free agent.
Why was the posting system implemented?
Several players playing in Japan—most notably Hideo Nomo, Hideki Irabu and Alfonso Soriano—exploited loopholes in a prior agreement between the NPB league and MLB to play in MLB, leaving their Japanese teams with nothing following their departures. The posting system was created to allow Japanese teams to receive compensation when certain members of the club desire to play in MLB.
Who are some of the biggest names to ever be posted in MLB?
Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki, three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, five-time All-Star Yu Darvish and two-time All-Star Masahiro Tanaka are just a few former and current stars who were posted before playing in MLB.