Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix Buffaloes), a Japanese professional baseball (NPB) “monster pitcher” that Major League Baseball is paying attention to, is finally on the market.

Japanese media, including “Chunichi Sports,” quoted Buster Olney, a reporter for ESPN, on the 18th (Korea Standard Time), saying, “Yamamoto will officially apply for posting to the Major League Secretariat on the 21st. Major League Baseball, which is willing to recruit him from the 22nd, will be available for 45 days.”

Yamamoto is the best pitcher to represent the NPB. With 16 wins, 6 losses, 1.21 ERA and 196 strikeouts in 23 games this season, he became the first player in NPB history to achieve four wins (multiple wins, ERA, strikeout winning percentage) for three consecutive years. Based on this performance, he also won the Sawamura Award, which is given to the NPB’s best pitcher for three consecutive years from 2021. Yamamoto, who debuted in 2017, pitched in 172 games (118 starts) in a total of seven seasons with the NPB, recording 70-29, 32 holds, one save and a 1.82 ERA.

Even before the end of the season, major league teams’ interest in Yamamoto was already hot. Officials from several major league teams visited Japan to watch Yamamoto’s game this season. At the end of the season with Orix ranking second in the Japanese Series, Yamamoto immediately prepared to advance to the Major League with the consent of the club. 먹튀검증

Local media in the U.S. say Yamamoto is the biggest starting pitcher in the free agent market. Yamamoto is in second place after Shohei Ohtani, the “dual sword,” in the free agent (FA) rankings set by various U.S. media. MLB.com selected Yamamoto as the No. 1 right-handed starting pitcher in an article titled “Who is the best free agent in each position?” on the 18th. The media mentioned, “A right-hander (Yamamoto), who is only 25 years old, could sign the second biggest offseason contract after Ohtani.”

Japanese media Nikkan Sports also reported, “Fierce competition is expected among U.S. officials, with Yamamoto’s contract expected to be the highest in posting history with a total of $225 million (about 291.7 billion won) over nine years.” Big clubs with financial resources such as the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers are being mentioned as clubs targeting Yamamoto and need to strengthen starting pitchers.