How the Posting System Works and Has Evolved
The posting system enables NPB players without free agency to transfer to MLB. When a player desires MLB transfer and their team approves posting, negotiations with MLB teams become possible. Upon contract completion, the NPB team receives a 'release fee' (posting fee). Introduced in 1998 and revised in 2013 and 2017, the current system calculates release fees based on total MLB contract value, capped at approximately $20 million. However, the fundamental problem is that posting approval rests entirely with the team's judgment.
Team Veto Power - Holding Players' Dreams Hostage
The posting system's greatest problem is that teams can reject player posting requests. Players without free agency have no means to transfer to MLB unless their team approves posting. Since losing key players directly weakens team competitiveness, players desiring MLB transfer may be refused because 'the team needs you.' Players are bound by team contracts, unable to freely choose their careers. This is problematic from the perspective of the fundamental right to occupational freedom.
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The Long Road to Free Agency
NPB's free agency system requires 8 years of first-team registration for domestic FA and 9 years for international FA. Players who turned professional from high school can obtain international FA at earliest around age 27-28. MLB considers player prime years as 27-30, meaning NPB's FA system structurally prevents free transfer during players' most valuable period. The posting system partially addresses this, but as long as team veto power exists, player freedom is not fully guaranteed. Cases like Shohei Ohtani where teams approved posting were realized through good player-team relationships, not institutional rights guarantees.
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Directions for Reform
Posting system reform requires balancing expanded player rights with team interest protection. One direction is automatically granting posting rights to players meeting certain conditions. For example, granting posting application rights to players with 6+ years of first-team registration that teams cannot refuse. Revising posting fee calculations to allow teams to appropriately recover player development costs could also reduce team resistance. Player movement between NPB and MLB is important for both leagues' development, and system design respecting player rights is needed.