NPB Postings Give Mets Two More Free-Agent Options

As the New York Mets likely prepare to talk with Japanese free-agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto this week, two other pitching options hit the free-agent market on Monday after they were posted by Nippon Professional Baseball.

Shota Imanaga plays for the Yokohama BayStars and Naoyuki Uwasawa plays for the Nippon-Ham Fighters and their postings were reported by the Kyodo News and MLB.com, respectively.

Now that the two have been posted, they have 45 days to make a deal with an MLB club or their rights revert back to their respective clubs. That deadline is Jan. 11.

Imagana, 30, has posted a 2.79 ERA since 2019 with a 26.2 percent strikeout rate and a 5.9 percent walk rate. Last season, he struck out nearly 30 percent of the hitters he faced in 148 innings, as he posted a 2.80 ERA. He walked just 3.8 percent of the hitters he faced.

He also threw a no-hitter in 2022. MLB Trade Rumors projects that Imanaga could get a five-year deal valued at $85 million.

Uwasawa, a right-hander who will turn 30 in January, is coming off a 2023 in which he had a 2.96 ERA in 170 innings and walked just 5.9 percent of the hitters he faced. He’s thrown more than 1,000 innings and has a career ERA of 3.19, with a 19.7 career percent strikeout rate.

Yamamoto would likely be any MLB team’s first choice, though. The 25-year-old star was posted last Monday by the Orix Buffaloes and he has until Jan. 4 to find a deal.

This week, he and his representatives are speaking with teams via Zoom or phone to narrow down the list of teams he’ll meet with in the states next month. It’s unlikely those meetings will take place before the winter meetings in Nashville Dec. 4-7.

Experts project that Yamamoto will find a deal in excess of $200 million.

He has a career record of 70-29. In 2023 he had a 1.21 ERA with a 16-6 record and 169 strikeouts in 164 innings. He also threw his second no-hitter this year.

Another posting of an Asian player is expected in December.

Outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who plays for Kiwoom Heroes in Korean Professional Baseball, is expected to be posted. Teams will have 30 days to sign him once he’s posted.

Lee has played in the KBO since he was 18 years old. He spent two years with Nexen before joining Kiwoom. He’s been an incredibly consistent hitter in the KBO, as he’s batted over .300 in each of his seven seasons and has a lifetime batting average of .340. He also has a .992 fielding percentage.