Suzuki to be posted Monday, per reports

MLB Rumors: Seiya Suzuki, outfielder for the Hiroshima Carp of the Japanese Baseball League, will be posted on Monday, November 22, 2021, according to reports. MLB reportedly informed teams of this news today.

Suzuki, 27, is a righthanded hitting right fielder who is one of the top power hitters in Japan. Suzuki hit .319/.436/.640 with 38 home runs in 2021, and has posted an OPS of at least 936 every year since 2016.

Once Suzuki is posted, MLB teams will have thirty days to try to negotiate a deal with him. While the deadline is currently December 22, 2021 (assuming that he is posted tomorrow), if there is a lockout on December 1, the thirty day period will be put on hold, and will resume once the lockout is resolved.

The Texas Rangers have been one of the teams most frequently linked with Suzuki. The Rangers have scouted Japan aggressively in recent years, and the team has been open about their desire to spend money this offseason and improve the offense. As Suzuki is over 25, he is not subject to the J-2 spending limits that younger free agents are, and Hiroshima will receive a posting fee equal to a percentage of the total deal Suzuki gets.

Projections have Suzuki getting a four year deal in the $40-50 million range. That’s a fair amount less than established above-average outfielders in the United States would command, and reflects concerns about Suzuki’s strikeout rate and how well he will handle the higher velocities he will see from pitchers in MLB.