Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to be posted by the Orix Buffaloes on Monday, November 20, officially opening the 45-day window (until Jan. 4, 2024) for MLB teams to negotiate with the Japanese pitching sensation.

Though he’s only 25 years old and would technically be a rookie if he came to the Majors next year, Yamamoto already has seven impressive Nippon Professional Baseball seasons under his belt. Over 897 innings in a Buffaloes uniform, he posted a 1.82 ERA, strong 26.43% strikeout rate, and commanding 5.9% walk rate. He took home two Pacific League MVP awards and three Japanese Triple Crowns, and this season, became the first pitcher in NPB history to pitch a no-hitter in back-to-back seasons.

As such, the right-hander is expected to command a record-breaking salary for an NPB player coming to MLB. Will it be from the Red Sox, who are desperately seeking starting pitching this offseason? They’re one of many teams linked to him, and the bidding war is expected to be fierce.

Boston does, however, have an advantage over the competition. Yamamoto and Masataka Yoshida were Orix teammates for six seasons and took home the gold together at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics before the Buffaloes posted Yoshida last winter and he signed his five-year deal with Boston. The two have kept in touch, Yoshida told the Herald in September. “We’re close to each other,” he said.

The Red Sox also had Keiichiro Wakabayashi – who’d been the Buffaloes’ interpreter for English players before Yoshida asked him to accompany him to the Majors as his translator – but fired him at the end of the season, citing a need for better communication between the outfielder and coaching staff.