While the relevant parties have given their blessings to a new posting agreement between Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball, there is still no resolution to Masahiro Tanaka's situation.
The Eagles were widely expected to post Tanaka this offseason, but the newly agreed upon system, complete with a $20 million cap on posting fees, seems to have the team rethinking things.
"First of all, discuss it with him," Rakuten president Yozo Tachibana was quoted as saying by AP from MLB's winter meetings in Orlando. "I don't know if he wants to do it." Tachibana has said his priority is to convince Tanaka to remain with Rakuten.