This has been anticipated for some time, but Major League Baseball made it official Friday with the extension of their 2013 posting agreement with Nippon Pro Baseball (NPB) for one more year, through November 1, 2018.
As a result of today’s approval, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of NPB will post right-handed pitcher/outfielder Shohei Ohtani Friday, with a release fee of $20 million. The window for Ohtani to negotiate with Major League Clubs will expire at 10:59 p.m. CT on December 22, 2017. In addition, right-handed pitcher Kazuhisa Makita of the Saitama Seibu Lions will be posted on or before December 31.