When Yoshinobu Yamamoto hits the market this winter following his posting by the Pacific League's Orix Buffaloes, MLB teams expect his contract will easily surpass the $155 million Masahiro Tanaka received, currently the largest for a Japanese player ahead of his American debut.

"He may be the best pitcher we've ever seen come out of Japan," one MLB team's scout said. "He could get $200 million, partly because of that and partly because of this year's market."

While Tanaka was coming off monster seasons in 2011 and 2013, when he went 24-0 to set a record for consecutive winning decisions, Yamamoto's success over the past three seasons is equally unprecedented.