Slugger Kazuma Okamoto and right-hander Kona Takahashi on Thursday became the latest Japanese stars posted for MLB free agency.
Both players can negotiate with teams during a 45-day window that opens Friday at 8 a.m. ET. and closes January 4 at 5 p.m. ET. If either does not sign, he would return to his club in Nippon Professional Baseball.
Okamoto, 29, was assigned to the Yomiuri Giants and Takahashi, 28, to the Saitama Seibu Lions.
Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger Munetaka Murakami and Seibu Lions right-hander Tatsuya Imai were both posted earlier this month.
Okamoto, who plays third and first base, is a six-time All-Star with 248 home runs in 1,074 career games. He had six consecutive 30-homer campaigns from 2018 to 2023. He was part of Japan’s Classic Baseball World Championship team in 2023, homering in the final against the United States.
Takahashi compiled a 2.20 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 330 2/3 innings from 2022 to 2023. His numbers dropped in 2024 (3.54 ERA) and 2025 (3.04 ERA).
–Field level media
