The Hanshin Tigers of Japans Nippon Profe sional Baseball last night that theyve made right-hander available to major league teams via the posting system. Jon Morosi of the MLB Network that MLB has approved the posting, which opens a 45-day window for the pitcher to sign with a big league team. Aoyagi Rougned Odor Jersey , who turns 31 next week, seems to project as a depth arm. While he has worked as a starting pitcher for the Tigers, Aoyagi throws from a sidearm slot thats more commonly found in the bullpen. Hes coming off a pedestrian season which he split almost evenly between the Tigers and their minor league affiliate. Aoyagi made 12 starts at Japans top level and pitched 11 times in the minors. During his work at the highest level, he turned in a 3.69 ERA acro s 61 innings. His 13% strikeout rate would be nearly 10 percentage points below the MLB average. He showed decent but not exceptional control, walking 7.8% of batters faced. His career track record is a bit more impre sive. He owns a 3.08 ERA with a 17.1% strikeout percentage acro s nine NPB campaigns. This was his second consecutive middling season, though. Aoyagi was tagged for a 4.57 ERA acro s 100 1/3 innings for the Tigers in 2023. The 511 hurler pitched for Japan at the 2020 Olympics (held in Tokyo a year late as a result of the pandemic). Japan went 5-0 and won the gold medal, though Aoyagi was tagged for five runs in 1 2/3 innings acro s two appearances. He did not make the nations World Baseball Cla sic roster two years later. A suming the posting window officially opened today, Aoyagi will have until January 17 to sign with an MLB team. If he doesnt find an offer to his liking, hed remain with the Tigers. Aoyagis numbers suggest he could be limited to a minor league deal. If he signs with an MLB team, that club would also owe a release fee to the Hanshin Tigers. The fee is proportional to the size of the contract. In the very likely event that he signs for $25MM or le s, the posting fee would be 20% of the guarantee. Michel Baez Jersey