Korean Posting System

Definition

Players from Korea's top league -- the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) -- who do not have the requisite nine years of professional experience to gain international free agency can request to be "posted" for Major League clubs. When a KBO club posts a player, all 30 Major League clubs are allowed to negotiate with the player and his representative for a specific period of time. During the 2020-2021 offseason, that window begins on Nov. 10 and ends Dec. 14, according to Jee-ho Yoo of Yonhap News. To sign a posted player, an MLB team must pay a release fee to the KBO club, calculated based on the amount of his guaranteed contract. For Major League contracts, the KBO team receives a payment equal to 20% of the first $25 million in guaranteed value, 17.5% of the next $25 million, and 15% on all amounts above $50 million. When the posted player signs a Minor League contract, the KBO team receives a payment equal to 25% of the signing bonus. Under KBO rules, a club is allowed to post only one player at a time and cannot allow more than one player to leave via the posting process per offseason.

The caveat is that foreign-born players are subject to international bonus pool money restrictions unless they are at least 25 years of age and have played as a professional in a foreign league recognized by Major League Baseball for a minimum of six seasons. Under the 2017-21 Collective Bargaining Agreement, each Major League club has a cap between $4.75 million and $5.75 million to spend on the non-exempt foreign-born player pool. For the 2020-2021 signing period, clubs are able to acquire up to 60 percent of their initial international pool. Thus, a club with an initial pool of $5.75 million may make trades that increase its pool to a maximum of $9.2 million.