Shohei Otani’s path to the majors became a bit clearer Friday, when his team in Japan, the Nippon-Ham Fighters, announced they would allow the two-way star to be posted next season.
The team’s approval doesn’t guarantee Otani will play in the majors next season as the posting agreement between Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball ended last week and the two sides still are working out a new arrangement.
Under the previous system, a player’s Japanese team would receive a $20 million posting fee, but under the new collective bargaining agreement, the 23-year-old Otani will make only a fraction of that because he is under 25 and, therefore, subject to the international signing pool of each team, which could pose a problem with the Players Association.
According to the Associated Press, the Rangers can offer Otani the most money, $3.535 million, while the Yankees — who are highly interested in the lefty-swinging, righty-throwing star — can spend the next-most at $3.25 million.