Rangers Pursuit of Japanese Prep Star Complicated by Suitors, Calendar

Last year the Texas Rangers landed one of the stars of Korean prep baseball, Seong-Jun Kim, a two-way player that could be another Shohei Ohtani type of player.

By signing him as a prep player, he wasn’t subject to the typical baseball posting rules that dominate professional baseball players from Japan or Korea when they try to come to the U.S. Kim has already made waves in the Rangers’ minor league system.

Now, Texas is trying to do it again — and the Rangers aren’t the only franchise in pursuit.

Japanese high school pitcher Shoki Oda is in the same situation. The Rangers, along with the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies are in pursuit. Texas’ interest was originally reported by Francys Romero.

But unlike the last cycle, this will be far more complicated.

Rangers Pursuit of Shoki Oda Will be Tough

Yokohama HS RHP Shoki Oda has met with the Rangers, Phillies, and Mets so far, with about 8-9 more teams, including the Dodgers and Yankees, expected to follow in the coming weeks.

The 18 y/o can also join the Yomiuri Giants or attend an NCAA school. pic.twitter.com/L4VLHN9izu
— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) November 5, 2026

The Rangers will have to use international bonus money to sign Oda, just as they did a year ago with Kim. Texas paid Kim a little more than $1 million to turn down being a first-round pick in the KBO to start his pro career.

Oda is already in the U.S. and talking with teams. When the Rangers met with him and his representatives, Romero reported that eight members of the organization met with him, including Kim. It was a full-court press most teams don’t employ for an 18-year-old prospect. Oda is special. His makeup is intriguing and he boasts a fastball that hits at least 97 mph.

So, competition is one problem. The timing is another.

The international signing period doesn’t start until Jan. 15. If Major League owners and the MLB Players Association can’t agree to a new collective bargaining agreement by Dec. 1, then the owners will lock out the players until there is an agreement. Any international signing period wouldn’t start until the lockout ends and the CBA is ratified.

MLB is pursuing changes to the international signing period, including the possibility of a draft for those players.

There is one other option — the Rangers could use their remaining international bonus money for 2026 before the deadline, which is early December. It’s a use-it-or-lose-it proposition. But, as Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required) reported, Texas is unlikely to have enough money to do that. The only way to acquire more money is to trade players for it in $250,000 increments. Most teams have exhausted most of their pool money.

The Rangers are on the clock, as are the rest of baseball. Time — and money — is running out.

Add us as a preferred source on Google