Teruaki Sato is the latest Japanese star heading to the majors.
The Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball announced Monday that Sato has been granted approval to enter the posting system.
The 27-year-old third baseman will have a 45-day window to talk with any MLB teams once he's officially been posted. He'll also likely enter negotiations early in the offseason, considering the current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 2, which will result in a lockout if a new deal isn't reached by then.
Sato, who's in contention to win a second straight NPB MVP award, won the Triple Crown after hitting .306 with 39 homers, 106 RBIs, and a .991 OPS over 143 games this season.
The left-handed slugger has already been connected to several big-market teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Philadelphia Phillies.
