When you see a pattern that repeats itself over and over again, you suspect that there is a rule at work that determines that pattern. Sometimes, however, the most plausible explanations are the wrong ones. And that`s how I interpreted why the team control rules didn`t seem to apply to imported players. I assumed that the rules they govern were somehow different. That`s true, but the same rules state that foreign residents are considered international players and international professionals if they are at least 25 years old, with six years as a professional in a “Major League Baseball-recognized league” – which may or may not include Japan`s eastern and western leagues. the latter containing the best agricultural team of the Hawks. Those who were drafted in high school are eligible for the national free agency after eight years, those who were drafted after playing at a higher level, JC, university, corporate league and so on, can be transferred to another NPB team after seven years. But to go abroad, you need nine years of service. This superficial answer lies in the nature of NPB contracts, but the real reason is that Nippon Professional Baseball is based on an agreement often tailored to the needs of the year, adding and removing rules, such as rooms added to a house, without regard to an overall plan. The Professional Baseball Agreement is essentially a fragile framework that defines the duties of administrators, teams, players and officials, and governs the ways in which teams and players can participate in the enterprise. International directors of more than one NPB team said they are sometimes approached by agents who want to use their clubs as developmental stages where players can hone their skills and make a name for themselves in the MLB Amateur Draft for a year or two. Once the draft is over, teams have until March of the following year to sign drafts, or teams lose the right to negotiate with the player, and the unsigned player must wait until the next draft to sign with an NPB team.
Under signage rules introduced in the 2018-19 offseason, the “release fee” — an amount an NPB club must receive when a settlement is reached between a seconded player and a Major League club — depends on the guaranteed value of the contract an affected player signs with a Major League club. All 30 MLB clubs have 30 days to negotiate with a player after they are sent out. Generally, players must be posted between November 1 and December 5. (The “viewport” has been moved from November 8 to December 12, 2020.) NOTE: While it is true that imported players are treated differently in terms of their ability to move to other teams as they wish, it is not true, as mentioned below, that these are structural rules. I am currently working on an updated version that will explain this phenomenon. In December, three agents — including Stewart`s agent, Scott Boras — said all U.S. and Canadian citizens, regardless of overseas experience, are subject to the MLB Amateur Draft. Each year, towards the end of October, the 12 NPB clubs hold an amateur draft where they can select players who will graduate from college, who will currently play on an amateur team, or who have not signed with the team that selected them in the previous year`s draft.
If a Japanese player has already signed with an MLB team without having previously played in the NPB, he must go through the draft if he wants to come back and play in the NPB. Players who turn professional through the draft after high school need eight years of first-team service before they can move on to another NPB team on their own. National amateurs who turn professional after leaving high school, such as a corporate leaguer or university student, can transfer to the NPB after seven years on the first team. The rules for free agents are not simple. Basically, it requires nine years of active service in the first shift. But there is a subclass of free agency, national free agency, which is only available to domestic amateurs who enter through the draft. Teams will not report exceeding these limits, even though the salary is set in the contract for players in uniform and would be difficult to hide. However, the signing of bonuses and incentive clauses in additional contracts will not be published or officially reported to the NPB or the players` union. Exceeding these boundaries simply means that teams are skewing rules that were designed to be broken. By allocating maximum amounts to draft picks in their amateur draft, MLB has reduced the rights of fans to sell their talent at fair value. The draft already hampers this by forcing fans to negotiate with a single team.
But signing bonus pools introduced in 2012 and minor league baseball`s run-down status have now made Japan a viable alternative for the right candidate. A Japanese player, whether amateur or professional, joins Nippon Professtional Baseball through its annual draft if he has never played in the NPB before. All other players are free agents who are able to negotiate and sign with any team of their choice.