Nippon Professional Baseball's champion Orix Buffaloes would be willing to make star slugger Masataka Yoshida available to MLB teams depending on conditions, a source familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
The 29-year-old, a two-time Pacific League batting champion who led Orix to the franchise's first Japan Series title in 26 years, announced earlier in the day that he wishes to play overseas.
"I've always wanted to play at a high level," he told reporters.
Because Yoshida still needs to qualify to go to MLB as a free agent, any move would require Orix to approve a transfer via the posting system.
Orix's general manager, Junichi Fukura, said discussions would take place.
"These are going to happen in the coming days," Fukura said. "I understand how he feels, but we also need to talk about the club."
In May, Yoshida was sidelined by the coronavirus and then a hamstring injury. In 119 games, he batted .335 with 21 home runs and 88 RBIs while leading the league in on-base percentage for the second straight season.