The posting system is a baseball player transfer system that operates between Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and the Major League Baseball (MLB). The system is based on the original posting system that was put in place between MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 1998.

A Korean man wearing a grey Los Angeles baseball uniform Throwing a ball.
Hyun-jin Ryu was the first KBO player to enter MLB via the posting system.

To be eligible for posting, a player must have first played at least seven years in the KBO.[1] Under this system, when a KBO player is "posted," MLB holds a four-day-long silent auction during which MLB teams can submit sealed bids in an attempt to win the exclusive rights to negotiate with the player for a period of 30 days. If the KBO team accepts the winning bid, then the player is free to negotiate with the highest-bidding MLB team. If the MLB team and the KBO player agree on contract terms before the 30-day period has expired, the KBO team receives the bid amount as a transfer fee, and the player is free to play in MLB. If the KBO team rejects the winning bid or if the MLB team cannot come to a contract agreement with the posted player, then no fee is paid, and the player's rights revert to his KBO team.

Up to the end of the 2014–15 posting period, eight KBO players had been posted using the system. Of these, two signed Major League contracts immediately, one signed a minor league contract, four bids were rejected by KBO teams, and one could not come to a contract agreement during the 30-day negotiation period. The eight players that have been acquired by MLB teams through the posting system are Choi Hyang-nam, Hyun-jin Ryu, Jung-ho Kang, Byung-ho Park, Kwang-hyun Kim, Ha-seong Kim, Jung-hoo Lee, and Woo-suk Go.

Postings

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Past postings

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Of the South Korean-born players who have played in MLB,[2] seven have entered the league using the posting system.

Successful postings
Player Posting date KBO team MLB team Winning bid or posting fee Date of contract
agreement
MLB contract Notes
Choi Hyang-namP January 22, 2009 Lotte Giants St. Louis Cardinals $101 $0Minor league contract [3]
Ryu Hyun-jinP November 1, 2012 Hanwha Eagles Los Angeles Dodgers $25,737,737.33 December 9, 2012 $6,000,0006 year, $36 million [4]
Kang Jung-ho December 15, 2014 Nexen Heroes Pittsburgh Pirates $5,002,015 January 16, 2015 $2,750,0004 year, $11 million [5]
Park Byung-ho November 2, 2015 Nexen Heroes Minnesota Twins $12,850,000 December 1, 2015 $3,000,0004 year, $12 million [6][7]
Kim Kwang-hyunP December 6, 2019 SK Wyverns St. Louis Cardinals $1,600,000 December 17, 2019 2 year, $8 million [8]
Kim Ha-seong November 25, 2020 Kiwoom Heroes San Diego Padres $5,525,000 December 31, 2020 4 year, $28 million [9][10]
Lee Jung-hoo December 4, 2023 Kiwoom Heroes San Francisco Giants $18,825,000 December 13, 2023 6 year, $113 million [11]
Go Woo-sukP December 4, 2023 LG Twins San Diego Padres $900,000 January 3, 2024 2 year, $4.5 million [12]
^P This player is a pitcher.
Unsuccessful postings
Player Posting date KBO team Result Notes
Lee Sang-hoonP 1998 LG Twins The LG Twins rejected the winning MLB team's highest bid of $600,000. [13]
Jin Pil-jungP December 2002 Doosan Bears The Doosan Bears rejected the winning MLB team's highest bid of $25,000. [14]
Lim Chang-yongP December 2002 Samsung Lions The Samsung Lions rejected the winning MLB team's highest bid of $650,000. [14]
Kim Kwang-hyunP November 4, 2014 SK Wyverns The San Diego Padres were awarded exclusive negotiating rights on November 11, 2014, after bidding $2 million. Contract negotiations ended without an agreement and Kim returned to the Wyverns. [15][16]
Yang Hyeon-jongP November 17, 2014 Kia Tigers The Kia Tigers rejected the winning MLB team's highest bid. It was reported that the Minnesota Twins or the Texas Rangers were possibly the highest bidders with a bid estimated at $1.5 million, though the exact details were never disclosed. [17]
Son Ah-seop November 16, 2015 Lotte Giants
Hwang Jae-gyun November 30, 2015 Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants did not receive any bids. [18]
Kim Jae-hwan December 5, 2019 Doosan Bears
Na Sung-bum December 10, 2020 LG Twins
^P This player is a pitcher.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Adams, Steve. "MLB, KBO Reportedly Agree To New Posting System," MLB Trade Rumors (July 12, 2018).
  2. ^ "Players by birthplace : South Korea Baseball Stats and Info". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  3. ^ "Journeyman pitcher Choi Hyang-nam joins Austrian club". Yonhap News Agency. March 10, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  4. ^ "Dodgers sign Hyun-jin Ryu for six years, $36 million," CBS Sports (December 9, 2012).
  5. ^ Bucs, Kang make it official with 4-year deal Archived 2015-01-17 at the Wayback Machine January 17, 2015
  6. ^ "Byung Ho Park joins Twins". ESPN.com. December 1, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  7. ^ "Ex-MVP Park Byung-ho returns to KBO after brief MLB stint". Yonhap News Agency. November 27, 2017.
  8. ^ Anne Rogers (December 18, 2019). "Cardinals sign Korean lefty Kim to 2-year deal". MLB.com. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  9. ^ "KBO에 김하성 MLB 포스팅 공시 요청". KIWOOM HEROES (in Korean). November 25, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "Padres sign Ha-Seong Kim to four-year contract". MLB.com. December 31, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  11. ^ 포스팅 비용 244억원 안기고 떠난 영웅, "우리를 행복하게 한 이정후, 항상 기억하고 응원" 일간스포츠 date=December 15,
  12. ^ Yoo Jee-ho (January 4, 2024). "S. Korean All-Star closer Go Woo-suk signs with San Diego Padres". en.yna.co.kr. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  13. ^ "Red Sox sign Korean LHP Sang-Hoon Lee to a two-year deal". ESPN. December 23, 1999. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  14. ^ a b Kang Seung-woo (September 11, 2012). "Eagles' Ryu on MLB radar". Korea Times. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  15. ^ "Report: Padres post $2 million bid for Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun". Sports Illustrated. November 11, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  16. ^ "Kim Kwang-hyun fails to reach deal with San Diego Padres". Korean Herald. December 12, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  17. ^ "Kia Tigers reject bid for posted pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong". Sports Illustrated. November 26, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  18. ^ Charlie Wilmoth (December 4, 2015). "Lotte Giants Receive No Bidders For Jae-Gyun Hwang". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved July 6, 2017.