Three Japanese Pros Enter MLB Posting

Major League Baseball teams can now bid on four international players as the posting system opens for the 2026-27 season. Infielder Teruaki Sato, right-hander Kaima Taira, and right-hander Hiromi Itoh from Japan are available for signature until December 16. South Korea's Si-Hwan Roh is available until December 1.

Sato, a 27-year-old third baseman for the Hanshin Tigers, won the Central League Triple Crown this year. He batted .306 with 39 home runs and 106 RBIs. The left-handed hitter also claimed the league's Most Valuable Player award in 2025, a season where he hit .277 with 40 home runs and 102 RBIs. Sato represented Japan at the World Baseball Classic, going 3 for 10 with two runs batted in.

Taira, who turns 27 on November 15, pitched for the Saitama Seibu Lions. He moved into the starting rotation this season and posted a 12-5 record. His 1.36 earned run average led the Japanese major leagues. In 2025, Taira recorded 31 saves.

Hiromi Itoh, 29, pitched for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He helped Japan win the gold medal at the 2021 Olympics, throwing five scoreless innings across three games. He also appeared in this year's World Baseball Classic. Itoh finished the current season 10-10 with a 3.18 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 172 two-thirds innings. He won the 2025 Sawamura Award, the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young.

Roh, a 25-year-old right-handed hitter for the Hanwha Eagles, batted .283 with 25 home runs and 96 RBIs this season. His posting window is shorter than the Japanese players, closing on December 1.

The posting fee structure dictates that teams pay 20 percent of the first $25 million of a major league contract. That rate drops to 17.5 percent for the next $25 million and 15 percent for amounts over $50 million. A supplemental fee of 15 percent applies to earned bonuses, salary escalators, and exercised options. The deadline to sign is 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the final day of the posting period.

MLB is expected to lock out the players' union when their collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1. During the 2021-22 lockout, posted players were frozen while the signing windows continued after a deal was reached in March.