The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters officially posted right-hander Hiromi Itoh on Sunday, making the 29-year-old eligible to sign with any MLB club for the next 45 days. The move, confirmed by MLB.com, gives Itoh and his representatives a 45-day window from Nov. 1 to work out a deal with any of the 30 teams.
Itoh debuted with the Fighters in 2021 and compiled a 2.92 ERA with 902 strikeouts across 1,000 2/3 innings for the club.
The Terms: Posting Window And Deadline
Itoh has 45 days from Nov. 1 to sign with an MLB team. If no deal is reached by the deadline, he returns to the Fighters.
What It Means For The Fighters And MLB Clubs
For Nippon-Ham, posting Itoh follows the same path other NPB teams have taken with top-tier arms, trading the chance to keep a frontline starter for a posting fee and the player’s blessing to chase a Major League opportunity. For MLB clubs, Itoh represents a rotation option with recent track record. One MLB scout, speaking to MLB.com, suggested his profile could translate in more than one role.
“He could be an up and down starter. But maybe in relief he might show some more velocity. In the previous [World Baseball Classic], he came out of the bullpen and he was 94-96 [mph] with some nasty stuff,” the scout said.
Player Background: A Sawamura Award Winner
Itoh’s case for a Major League deal is built on consistency and a standout 2025 season. He posted a 2.52 ERA with 195 strikeouts in 196 2/3 innings that year and won the Sawamura Award, NPB’s equivalent of the Cy Young Award.
His 2026 numbers held up against that peak. Itoh worked 172 2/3 innings over 26 starts with a 3.18 ERA, 159 strikeouts and a walk rate of just 4.7%. The command profile, paired with his strikeout totals, is the core of what MLB clubs will evaluate during the 45-day window.
What’s Next
Itoh now enters the negotiating period with MLB teams, which runs through the 45-day deadline from his Nov. 1 posting. No club has been reported as the frontrunner, and the next milestone will be any agreement reached before that window closes.
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