"The Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball are weighing whether to make their ace, Hiroto Saiki, available to MLB teams via the posting system, according to a Japanese-language report from Yahoo! Japan. The report notes that the 26-year-old Saiki (27 in November) has previously expressed a desire to pitch in MLB by his late 20s. The Tigers have not made any announcements, and it is not guaranteed that a posting - even if one does eventually occur - would happen this offseason."
"Saiki has pitched in parts of seven NPB seasons but wasn't fully established at the top level until 2023. He's reportedly still four years away from international free agent eligibility. The Tigers could wait another offseason or two to post him. Different NPB teams have varying levels of willingness to honor players' posting interest. Some teams more highly value the reputational boost that could come with that."
Hiroto Saiki, a 26-year-old ace for the Hanshin Tigers, has previously expressed a desire to pitch in MLB by his late 20s. The Tigers are weighing whether to make him available through the posting system, but no announcement has been made and a posting is not guaranteed this offseason. NPB players need nine years of service for international free agency, so posting allows an earlier MLB move while providing financial compensation to the NPB club. Posting yields higher fees when a player secures a large guaranteed MLB deal. Saiki is older than 24 and would not face MLB amateur bonus pool limits.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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