Even as Major League Baseball has slowly become more and more a global enterprise, when it comes to Japanese players, the talent transfer is still very complicated. The first Japanese-born player who made it to MLB was relief pitcher Masanori Murakami, who had a brief stint with the Giants in 1965. However, a mutual agreement between Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and MLB ruled out any possible trades between the leagues for more than 30 years.

In 1995, star hurler Hideo Nomo took advantage of a loophole in said agreement and jumped to the Dodgers – starting a sensation that led to American teams again looking towards the East for new talents. After pitcher Hideki Irabu started a huge controversy by signing with the Yankees, both NPB and MLB decided to toughen up their standards and signed a new deal, which spawned the posting system.

Under the new system, which came about in 1998, Japanese teams had the right to “post” a player, for which every MLB team had a chance to bid on. The bids had no limit, and so the highest bidder was then granted a 3-month window to sign the player or else the posting bid would be refunded.

This system has now changed, as a new 3-year pact states that any bid can't go over $20 million, giving every team willing to pay the fee a chance to negotiate with the player directly during a 30-day window in hopes of reaching a deal.

Right after Christmas, the will-they-or-won't-they situation regarding pitching sensation Masahiro Tanaka and the Rakuten Eagles was finally settled, as the NPB team finally decided to post Tanaka and give every MLB team a chance to sign their ace. Tanaka had a season for the ages in 2013, leading his team to their first league title following a season in which he compiled a 24-0 record along with a sparkly 1.27 ERA, all at age 25.

Even as Tanaka remains a mystery when it comes to his potential transition towards pitching at the highest stage versus the best hitters in the world, MLB teams are salivating at the prospect of giving him a chance to prove he can do it, with the Yankees being reported as the frontrunners in this race.

With that in mind, it is also important to remember that the results of Japanese players who came to MLB via the posting system have been a mixed bag. Today we take a look at how each of the 10 players who took the plunge have fared in the Majors.

Ichiro Suzuki – Winning Bid by Seattle Mariners for $13.1 million in 2001

Probably the best and most consistent Japanese player in MLB history, Ichiro was practically a steal for Seattle, who quickly signed him to a modest 3-year, $14 million deal. Suzuki's skills translated automatically, with him winning Rookie of the Year and MVP in his debut season, then breaking the single-season hits record in 2004 and now entering his 14th year in MLB, playing for the Yankees, with an outside chance of reaching 3,000 hits.





Kazuhisa Ishii – Winning bid by Los Angeles Dodgers for $11.2 million in 2002

Probably trying to relive the glory days of Hideo Nomo, the Dodgers went ahead and bid for Ishii, a star for the Yakult Swallows in NPB. Unfortunately, his career never took off in the Majors, ending in 2005 after a terrible year with the Mets. Ishii's final career line of 39-34, 4.44 ERA and 0.2 WAR is testament to his unfulfilled promise.

Akinori Otsuka – Winning bid by San Diego Padres for $300,000 in 2004

In a cost-conscious move by the Padres, Otsuka was acquired primarily as a reliever and actually delivered some value in his brief 4-season stint in the Majors. He eventually became the primary closer for the Rangers in 2006, saving 32 games in the process. Otsuka's 6.6 career WAR actually ranks among the best among Japanese posted players.

Norihiro Nakamura – Winning bid by Los Angeles Dodgers in 2005 (undisclosed amount)

The Dodgers signed little-heralded Nakamura to try out for a starting spot at third base, but the Japanese player was never able to adapt to MLB pitching. He hit for a putrid .128 in 39 at-bats, quickly being released by Los Angeles. Nakamura is still active in the NPB.

Daisuke Matsuzaka – Winning bid by Boston Red Sox for $51.1 million in 2007

After leading Japan to the first World Baseball Classic title, Dice-K and his now-infamous gyroball were all the hype in baseball, and Boston jumped at the chance to make a splash. Even as Matsuzaka had a solid rookie season and won the World Series and then delivered a very good sophomore year in which he won 18 games, the wheels came off completely. To wit: 2007-08 – 61 starts, 9.4 WAR; 2009-2013 – 62 starts, -0.2 WAR. Still young at age 33, Dice-K is a free agent and probably out of MLB chances, and now serves as a cautionary tale, especially after the Red Sox spent more than $100 million between the posting and his contract.







Aki Iwamura – Winning bid by Tampa Bay Rays for $4.5 million in 2007

The frugal Tampa Bay squad signed Iwamura and actually extracted real value out of him for 3 years, but in 2010 he apparently lost all ability to play baseball and was out of the Majors completely. Iwamura is still active in the NPB.

Kei Igawa – Winning bid by New York Yankees for $26 million in 2007

Following the Irabu fiasco in the late 90's, the Yankees outdid themselves with Igawa, who became an unmitigated disaster. After winning the bid, New York issued him a 5-year, $20 million contract, but Igawa was so bad that he was released in early 2008. His final line: 16 games, 71.2 innings, 6.66 ERA, -0.6 WAR. Yikes.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka – Winning bid by Minnesota Twins for $5.3 million in 2011

Another bust, Nishioka was supposed to be Iwamura 2.0, but instead he became the hitting version of Igawa. Constantly plagued by injuries, Nishioka was one of the worst regular players in 2011, posting a perplexing -1.9 WAR in only 240 plate appearances. The following season, the Twins decided they'd seen enough after Nishioka went hitless in 14 PAs. He was quickly released and now plays for the Hanshin Tigers.

Norichika Aoki – Winning Bid by Milwaukee Brewers for $2.5 million in 2012

Aoki was subsequently signed to a very friendly 2-year, $2.5 million contract and became a steal for the Brewers when he emerged as one of the best outfielders in the league. He has amassed a 6.5 WAR during his first 2 years, and now is signed for 2013 for only $2 million with the Royals.

Yu Darvish – Winning Bid by Texas Rangers for $51.7 million in 2012

Even after handing out the highest bid ever paid for a Japanese player, the Rangers were smart enough to signing Darvish to a team-friendly contract of 6 years totaling $60 million, and they have been rewarded with one of the best pitchers in the league. Darvish finished second in 2013's Cy Young voting, led the AL in strikeouts and looked downright dominant most of the time. If Ichiro is by far the best Japanese import ever to play in the Majors, Darvish has the chance to become the pitching version of Ichiro, at least if Masahiro Tanaka doesn't say otherwise.