Overview
The posting system allows NPB players to transfer to MLB before earning free agent rights. When a team approves a player's posting, all 30 MLB teams have a 30-day negotiation window to pursue a contract. Upon successful transfer, the NPB team receives a release fee based on the total MLB contract value. The system was introduced in 1998, with Alfonso Soriano (Hiroshima) as its first user. A major reform in 2013 replaced the sealed-bid system - where only the highest bidder gained exclusive negotiation rights - with the current open-negotiation format. Notable players who used the posting system include Shohei Ohtani (Nippon-Ham, 2017), Yu Darvish (Nippon-Ham, 2011), Masahiro Tanaka (Rakuten, 2013), and Seiya Suzuki (Hiroshima, 2021). Since earning domestic free agency typically requires nine years of service, the posting system represents the only path for younger players to pursue MLB careers early.