According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that Major League Baseball informed teams on Monday that second baseman Ryosuke Kikuchi and right-handed pitcher Shun Yamaguchi have been posted.
The deadline for teams to come to a deal with either player in January 2 at 5 p.m. ET.
Kikiuchi, 29, has played all eight of his pro seasons with the Hiroshima Carp in Japan. He’s won the Golden Glove at second base all seven years he’s been a regular and was recently named the outstanding defensive player of the Premier 12 tournament.
The right-handed hitter hasn’t done much historically with the bat and that continued in 2019 with a .719 OPS. He slashed .261/.313/.406 with 36 doubles, 13 home runs, 48 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases in 138 this past season. His career OPS is .706 in 1047 games. He did hit a home run against Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Yamaguchi, 32, has pitched professionally in Japan for 14 seams with the last three coming with the Yomiuri Giants. The former closer (back-to-back 30 save seasons to start the decade) went 16-4 with a 2.78 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 0.4 HR/9, and 9.6 K/9 over 181 innings as a starter in 2019. The right-hander allowed only 148 hits and eight home runs in that span.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Ky2WwnJn8
Career notes for the veteran pitcher include throwing a no-hitter in 2018 and being suspended for the second half of the 2017 season after being charged with causing bodily harm to a hospital security guard.
Yamaguchi averages right around 90 MPH on his fastball and has arguably the most effective splitter in Japan according to multiple scouting reports.
Kikuchi and Yamaguchi join slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo and center fielder Shogo Akiyama as Japanese players currently available to negotiate deals with all major league teams. Korean left-hander Kwang-Hyun Kim is expected to be officially posted soon.
Under the new posting system, a major league team that signs one of these players will owe his former team 20 percent of the first $25 million guaranteed.
