Japanese left-hander Shota Imanaga is likely to be posted for negotiations with U.S. major league teams by Monday, according to a report from MLB.com.
The Central League’s DeNA BayStars have agreed to let the 30-year-old starting pitcher test the market for a move to MLB through the posting system this offseason.
Once MLB notifies its 30 teams that a player has been posted, they will have 45 days to negotiate with him.
Imanaga led the CL with 174 strikeouts in 2023, with a 7-4 record and a 2.80 ERA over 22 games.
He was the starter and winning pitcher for Japan in the World Baseball Classic final against the United States in March.
With several MLB teams in need of starting pitching, Imanaga is expected to draw considerable interest.
Samurai Japan teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto was posted by the Orix Buffaloes earlier this week and is tipped to sign a record deal for a Japanese player ahead of his MLB debut.
Discussion about this post