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Major League Baseball and Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball reached an agreement Thursday on the structure of a new posting system.
A report from Japanese sports daily Sanspo indicates that officials from NPB have accepted a proposal from MLB that imposes a new $20 million limit on any posting bid.
Under the previous system, Major League teams submitted blind bids for a Nippon player, and the team with the highest bid won exclusive negotiating rights with the player.
The new rules would result in a significantly lower payout to the posting club.
Changes to the posting system have been an ongoing topic of discussion between MLB and Nippon Baseball, with the respective players unions in Japan and the U.S. also having significant input in the process. Last week, officials from Nippon Baseball traveled to New York for conversations with MLB senior vice presidents Dan Halem and Kim Ng, who are overseeing talks on behalf of MLB.
The new rules, however, may not help Masahiro Tanaka.
The 25-year-old was widely rumored to be posted by Japan's Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, but the club is believed to be dissatisfied with the new MLB - NPB posting agreement.
"We have an obligation to explain to our stakeholders whether it's fair," Eagles owner Yozo Tachibana told a Japanese newspaper. "There's a possibility we won't take the next step."
The Phillies were a long shot to land Tanaka, but the club was believed to have some interest in pursuing the right-hander.
Tanaka went 99-35 in seven seasons in Japan, and finished 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA this year.
- The Philadelphia Baseball Review is your top news blog source for Philadelphia baseball news and the 2014 Phillies.
Under the previous system, Major League teams submitted blind bids for a Nippon player, and the team with the highest bid won exclusive negotiating rights with the player.The new rules would result in a significantly lower payout to the posting club.
Changes to the posting system have been an ongoing topic of discussion between MLB and Nippon Baseball, with the respective players unions in Japan and the U.S. also having significant input in the process. Last week, officials from Nippon Baseball traveled to New York for conversations with MLB senior vice presidents Dan Halem and Kim Ng, who are overseeing talks on behalf of MLB.
The new rules, however, may not help Masahiro Tanaka.
The 25-year-old was widely rumored to be posted by Japan's Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, but the club is believed to be dissatisfied with the new MLB - NPB posting agreement.
"We have an obligation to explain to our stakeholders whether it's fair," Eagles owner Yozo Tachibana told a Japanese newspaper. "There's a possibility we won't take the next step."
The Phillies were a long shot to land Tanaka, but the club was believed to have some interest in pursuing the right-hander.
Tanaka went 99-35 in seven seasons in Japan, and finished 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA this year.
- The Philadelphia Baseball Review is your top news blog source for Philadelphia baseball news and the 2014 Phillies.
