In the past, several players who played in Japan took advantage of loopholes in the previous agreement between NPB and MLB to play in Major League Baseball, leaving their Japanese teams empty-handed after their departure. Hideo Nomo, Hideki Irabu and Alfonso Soriano come to mind.
This is why the current appointment system was created. This way, Japanese teams can receive compensation when one of their players wishes to cross the Pacific Ocean.
The Japanese is one of the top three pitchers available on the market. https://t.co/tPIDlQlZgT
– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) November 10, 2025
Here's how it all works.
The NPB player initially informs his team's management of his desire to play in the MLB and requests that he be made available to Major League Baseball organizations during the next posting period. The nomination period runs from 1 November to 5 December, meaning announcements can be made any time between these dates.
Players with no more than nine years' experience may be sent, but the player and his team must agree before the process begins.
Thirty MLB clubs have 45 days to agree to contract terms with the eligible player once he is nominated. Once an agreement is reached, the Major League Baseball team must pay a release fee (a certain percentage of the contract) to the NPB team.
If a contract between the player and the MLB organization is not agreed upon within 45 days, the player will return to his Japanese team for the following season and cannot be assigned again until the following offseason.
We'll see this process in action in the coming days with Munetaka Murakami and Tatsuya Imai, among others.
This content was created using artificial intelligence.
