Next Japanese Star To Be Officially Posted, Bidding To Begin

It's official. The next Japanese star has been given permission to be posted, allowing him to head to the MLB. 

The Buffaloes are going to allow Masataka Yoshida to move to MLB via the posting system. https://t.co/zKibIhgc81

— Jason Coskrey (@JCoskrey) November 16, 2022

The Orix Buffaloes have granted Masataka Yoshida the right to move to MLB. The team will get a nice cut of the guaranteed value of the contract he signs as a 'release fee.' We've already had reports of several teams that have interest, including the New York Yankees. 

The Yankees are potential suitors for Masataka Yoshida, per @jonmorosi

The 29-year-old left fielder had a 1.007 OPS in 121 games in Japan this year pic.twitter.com/NrEjCE6MuR

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) November 8, 2022

The left fielder has been with the Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball league for seven years. According to FanGraphs, Yoshida "is almost impossible to strike out, and his feel for contact is superlative enough that ... he's elite at the game's most important skill: hitting.”

The 29-year-old has improved his power production to the point that he hit 21 home runs last season with a career-high 1.007 OPS. And oh yes, he hit .336!

Once the posting is official, Yoshida will have 30 days to negotiate with MLB clubs.