This supplied photo shows Kazuma Okamoto of the Yomiuri Giants. (Kyodo)
LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) — Major League Baseball notified all 30 teams Thursday that Yomiuri Giants infielder Kazuma Okamoto and Seibu Lions right-handed pitcher Kona Takahashi have been posted by their respective Japanese clubs and will be available for negotiations.
The 45-day negotiation period begins 8 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday and runs until 5 p.m. on Jan. 4. If either player has not signed a contract after that time, he will return to his Nippon Professional Baseball team.
Both players are free to negotiate with any team willing to pay a posting fee determined by the value of an eventual contract.
This supplied photo shows Kona Takahashi of the Seibu Lions. (Kyodo)
A left elbow injury limited Okamoto to 69 games this season, but he still managed 15 home runs and 49 RBIs with a batting average of .327.
The 29-year-old slugger, who bats right-handed, hit at least 30 home runs for six straight seasons from 2018, when he became a regular starter for Yomiuri.
Takahashi, 28, went 8-9 for the Lions with a 3.04 ERA this year. He has notched double-digit wins four times for the club, which drafted him out of high school with its top pick in 2015.
The two become the latest Japanese stars to be posted, following Yakult Swallows infielder Munetaka Murakami and Seibu pitcher Tatsuya Imai, who have already entered their negotiation periods.