Nippon Professional Baseball players made available to MLB teams through the posting system have 45 days to negotiate with the teams. That deadline won’t change if there is a lockout in December, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
The last time there was a lockout, the league adjusted its agreement with NPB to give existing Japanese players more time to reach an agreement with MLB. The 2021-22 offseason froze when a lockout began on Dec. 2 and MLB suspended the NPB negotiating window. It reopened once a new collective agreement was developed. There won’t be that type of adjustment this time around.
The league and players have until December 1 to agree on a new collective agreement. If this does not happen, a lockout will begin, which will freeze all transactions. Third baseman Teruaki Sato and right-handed Kaima Taira And Hiromi Itoh were officially released on Sunday. The timing of the potential lockout will give Japanese players posted about 30 days to reach an agreement with the major league. If no contract is reached, they will return to their NPB teams.
A month to close a deal is nothing new. At the time of the last lockout, the trading window was 30 days. The league extended the window to 45 days in December 2022.
Sato headlines the roster, especially in a weak free agent class for hitters. The 27-year-old slashed .306/.383/.609 with 39 homers for the Hanshin Tigers this season. Sato won the Triple Crown and is set to win his second consecutive MVP award. This is one of, if not the best bats on the market.
Itoh has been a regular starter for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters for the past six seasons. He has pitched 172 2/3 innings with a 3.23 ERA in 2026. Itoh, 29, has never recorded more than one strikeout per inning, but he has shown elite control over the past three years. Itoh won the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young Award in 2025.
Taira had primarily been a reliever for eight seasons with the Seibu Lions. He joins the rotation in 2026 and has an excellent season. Taira pitched 146 innings with a 1.36 ERA and a WHIP under 1.00. He had a career-low strikeout rate of 24.8% and a walk rate of 7.9%. Taira will be 27 in a few weeks.
MLB teams that sign an NPB player must pay a posting fee. Fees are based on contract value. It’s 20% for deals of $25 million or less. An additional 17.5% fee is added for the next $25 million. Contracts exceeding $50 million include a 15% fee for the amount above that amount.
Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images
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