Overview
Waivers give other teams the opportunity to claim a player before they become a free agent. In NPB, players who receive a non-tender notice are placed on waivers, allowing interested teams to file a claim. The NPB draft also employs a waiver system from the second round onward: while the first round uses a lottery for contested picks, subsequent rounds follow reverse-order-of-finish selection, giving lower-ranked teams priority access to promising young talent for competitive balance. Unlike MLB, where in-season trade waivers are actively used, NPB's trade culture is relatively conservative, with fewer mid-season transactions. In recent years, the growth of development contracts (ikusei) and independent leagues has diversified the options for players who clear waivers without being claimed, providing alternative paths to continue their careers.