Sources: Japan’s Yoshida will be MLB free agent

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Japanese star outfielder Masataka Yoshida will post on Wednesday be available via free agency to sign with an MLB team through…

Japanese star Masataka Yoshida will post on Wednesday, sources told ESPN, adding an outfielder to a baseball free agent market with scant depth at the position.

Yoshida, 29, will be eligible to sign with a major league team through Jan. 20, and teams see Yoshida as a plug-and-play left-field option with elite bat-to-ball skills.

The 5-foot-8, 176-pound Yoshida hit .335/.447/.551 with 21 home runs, 88 RBIs, 80 walks and 41 strikeouts for the Orix Buffaloes last season. Over his seven-year career with Orix, the left-handed-hitting Yoshida has batted .327/.421/.539, and he led Nippon Professional Baseball each of the past two seasons in OPS. He helped steward the Buffaloes to a Japan Series championship this year.

MLB’s posting system compensates foreign teams whose players sign with a major league club. The team receives $5 million for the first $25 million of a player’s contract, $4.375 million of the next $25 million and 15% of any money beyond $50 million.

Beyond Aaron Judge, the best player in the class, the free agent market for outfielders is topped by former New York Mets center fielder Brandon Nimmo, who’s expected to command a nine-figure contract. Other outfielders who have generated significant interest include left fielder Andrew Benintendi, right fielder Mitch Haniger, center fielder Cody Bellinger and left fielder Michael Conforto.

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