Headlines

  • Guardians, Andrés Giménez Finalizing Seven-Year, $106.5MM Extension
  • Guardians Nearing Extension With Trevor Stephan
  • Brewers Sign Luke Voit To One-Year Deal
  • Guardians Discussing Extensions With Multiple Players
  • Cristian Pache Will Not Make Athletics’ Roster; A’s Exploring Trade Scenarios
  • Triston McKenzie Shut Down For At Least Two Weeks With Teres Major Strain
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • Top 50 Free Agents
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2023
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Arbitration Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Seibu Lions Reliever Kazuhisa Makita Could Become Available To MLB Teams

By Steve Adams | November 6, 2017 at 8:26am CDT

The posting system between Major League Baseball and Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball remains in flux, creating some question as to whether vaunted right-hander/slugger Shohei Otani will ultimately be made available to big league clubs this offseason. Otani isn’t the only person whose shot at a Major League opportunity is in question, however; as the Japan Times reports, submarine righty Kazuhisa Makita could also be posted for MLB clubs if a new agreement between MLB and NPB can be reached.

“We plan to give him the green light,” said Lions executive Haruhiko Suzuki when asked about honoring Makita’s request to be posted for MLB clubs. “We are moving in that direction. He has a strong desire (to move to the majors through the posting system). We haven’t heard the outcome (of the negotiations). We will wait for that, then submit paperwork.”

Unlike Otani, the 32-year-old Makita is not a young star headed into his prime. Rather, he’s long been a successful starter and reliever. Makita is still subject to the posting system, though, because he did not begin his pro career in Japan until the age of 26, thus leaving him shy of the requisite nine years of service time to be considered a free agent under Japan’s rules. However, under MLB’s collective bargaining agreement, Makita would be considered a professional. In other words: he’s subject to the posting system but not to international bonus pools. If he is indeed posted, he’ll be able to sign for any amount with whichever teams meet his posting amount.

It’s far from clear what type of posting figure/release fee would’ve been placed on Makita by the Lions anyhow. The 32-year-old was the Pacific League Rookie of the Year back in 2011, the report notes, and he owns an excellent 2.83 ERA in 921 1/3 career innings. After moving to the bullpen full time in 2016, he’s posted a minuscule 1.91 ERA in nearly 150 innings. Makita’s submarine delivery could well hold appeal to a wide swath of clubs looking to give opponents a different look in the middle and late innings of a game.

However, Makita also generates an abnormally low number of strikeouts for a pitcher with his success, and some big league clubs will likely harbor trepidation as a result. Makita has averaged just five punchouts per nine innings over the course of his pro career in Japan, though to his credit he’s averaged just two walks per nine innings. In 147 1/3 innings over the past two seasons, Makita has issued just 19 unintentional walks, but he’s also hit 13 batters in that time.

Batted-ball data for NPB isn’t readily available, but a delivery as extreme as that of Makita figures to lend itself to weak contact — especially from right-handed opponents. His blend of a low strikeout rate with strong walk rates and plenty of weak contact isn’t all that dissimilar from free-agent righty Brandon Kintzler or from Marlins sidearm righty Brad Ziegler, so there’s certainly precedent for that skill set playing well in the Majors in today’s game. Whether he’s ultimately made available to big league clubs is entirely dependent on negotiations between MLB and NPB, but he’d be another name to watch for bullpen-hungry teams in free agency this winter.

Share 0 Retweet 34 Send via email0

Uncategorized Kazuhisa Makita

AL Notes: Cora, Tigers, Astros
Main
Greg Holland Declines Player Option
View Comments (14)

Comments

  1. xabial

    5 years ago

    I remember this team. This is the same team that posted Daisuke Matsuzaka for a $51MM posting fee to Boston 10+years ago.

    Those were the days.

    Reply
    • ckln88

      5 years ago

      The highest it can go is $20 million.

      Reply
      • xabial

        5 years ago

        Yeah, Yu Darvish was the last.

        Texas ended up winning Darvish for a $51.7MM posting fee to the Nippon-Ham Fighters (Otani’s current team) Winter of 2011 before 2012 season.

        This would prove to be the last major signing, until the $20MM posting cap.

        It’s worth noting, the posting system’s in flux now, and negotiations are pending.

        Reply
        • lowtalker1

          5 years ago

          Dervish wasn’t the last
          Tanika with the Yankees was the last star to come

        • dwhitt3

          5 years ago

          I think he means last of the unlimited posting fees

      • xabial

        5 years ago

        Ironically, both Dice-K and Darvish got $51.1MM-$51.7MM bids.

        So safe to say, if the posting system was uncapped, with no “under-25” rule, that’s how much Otani would receive right?

        Reply
  2. white_sox9195

    5 years ago

    He’s gonna go to the cubs

    Reply
    • CompanyAssassin

      5 years ago

      Along with every other free agent

      Reply
  3. AngelsintheTroutfield

    5 years ago

    Lions have a lefty ace that could be an interesting posting candidate. Yusei Kikuchi. Look him up.

    Reply
    • Caseys Partner

      5 years ago

      Could be. Since the agreement is being collectively bargained all the rules for Japanese players could change from what we’ve been assuming.

      $20 million cap? Poof!

      Age requirement to qualify? Poof!

      Otani could suddenly be open to bidding as Darvish was. That should be the position of the union, but they seem to always agree to the opposite, which shoots their members in the head.

      Reply
  4. Realtexan

    5 years ago

    Who will be the next Texas Ranger??? The soap opera cont.

    Reply
  5. insidethepark86

    5 years ago

    MLBTR a little inside info unrelated to this article. Marwin Gonzalez has fired his agent at the Octagon Agency and is hiring Scott Boras to represent him.

    Reply
  6. mrnatewalter

    5 years ago

    I hear he makes good power tools.

    Reply
  7. bluejayseveryday

    5 years ago

    This guy’s pitching is so cool. Would love to see him in the MLB [for the Blue Jays]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Guardians, Andrés Giménez Finalizing Seven-Year, $106.5MM Extension

    Guardians Nearing Extension With Trevor Stephan

    Brewers Sign Luke Voit To One-Year Deal

    Guardians Discussing Extensions With Multiple Players

    Cristian Pache Will Not Make Athletics’ Roster; A’s Exploring Trade Scenarios

    Triston McKenzie Shut Down For At Least Two Weeks With Teres Major Strain

    Cubs, Nico Hoerner Agree To Three-Year Extension

    Yankees To Select Anthony Volpe’s Contract

    Cardinals To Select Jordan Walker

    Mets Option Brett Baty, Mark Vientos

    Luke Voit Opts Out Of Minor League Deal With The Brewers

    Mets Sign Dylan Bundy To Minor League Deal

    Reds Acquire Will Benson From Guardians

    Cardinals Sign Miles Mikolas To Two-Year Extension

    Keston Hiura Will Not Make Brewers’ Roster

    Rhys Hoskins Diagnosed With Torn ACL, Will Undergo Surgery

    Jed Lowrie Announces Retirement

    Jose Altuve To Miss About Two Months Due To Thumb Surgery

    Rockies Sign Jurickson Profar

    Braves Option Vaughn Grissom, Braden Shewmake

    Recent

    The Opener: Rosters, Guardians, MLBTR Chats

    Guardians, Andrés Giménez Finalizing Seven-Year, $106.5MM Extension

    Guardians Nearing Extension With Trevor Stephan

    Giants’ Chairman: Team Intends To Eventually Exercise 2024 Option On President Farhan Zaidi

    Joe Mantiply To Open Season On Injured List

    Offseason In Review: Seattle Mariners

    Brewers Sign Luke Voit To One-Year Deal

    Rockies Sign Grayson Greiner To Minor League Deal

    Offseason In Review: New York Yankees

    Offseason Review Chat Transcript: Miami Marlins

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Offseason Outlook Series
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2023
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2023-24 MLB Free Agent List
    • MLB Player Chats
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version