Posted NPB and KBO Stars Face December 1 MLB Deadline

Teruaki Sato, Kaima Taira, Hiromi Itoh and Noh Si-hwan must complete any move to Major League Baseball by December 1 if the expected lockout begins, creating a compressed market for four of Asia’s most prominent posted players.

MLB has confirmed that it does not plan to amend its posting agreements with Nippon Professional Baseball or the Korea Baseball Organization to protect the players’ signing windows during a work stoppage. The current MLB collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1, 2026.

NPB trio loses 15 days from normal window

Sato, Taira and Itoh officially entered the posting system with standard 45-day negotiating periods running through December 16. Without a special arrangement, however, MLB clubs would be unable to sign them after a lockout starts. That makes 5 p.m. ET on December 1 their practical deadline.

The change leaves the three NPB stars with roughly four weeks to negotiate instead of the full posting window. Sato is the headline position player after winning the Central League Triple Crown for the Hanshin Tigers, batting .306 with 39 home runs and 106 RBIs.

Taira returned to the Saitama Seibu Lions’ rotation and went 12-5 with an NPB-best 1.36 ERA. Itoh posted a 10-10 record and 3.18 ERA for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, striking out 159 batters in 172 2/3 innings.

Noh Si-hwan already faced December 1 deadline

Noh’s 30-day KBO posting period was already scheduled to end on December 1. The Hanwha Eagles infielder hit .283 with 25 home runs and 96 RBIs this season, giving MLB clubs another middle-of-the-order option in the same shortened market.

The December deadline matters because the four players cannot simply wait for a new labor agreement and resume negotiations under the current plan. If they do not sign before their windows close, they would remain with their Asian clubs rather than move to MLB for the 2027 season.

The situation differs from the 2021-22 lockout. During that stoppage, posted players’ windows were frozen and resumed after MLB and the players’ union reached a new agreement. The MLB Players Association is reportedly exploring possible solutions this time, but no extension has been announced.

A crowded international market must move quickly

For MLB teams, the decision accelerates scouting, medical reviews and contract talks that would normally continue deeper into December. It also puts four separate posting fees in play, with compensation owed to the Hanshin Tigers, Saitama Seibu Lions, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and Hanwha Eagles based on the value of any contract.

Unless MLB changes course or reaches a labor agreement before the deadline, December 1 will decide whether four of Japan and South Korea’s leading players can make the jump for 2027.