Ohtani to be posted after MLB ratifies new posting system

The 21-day window to sign Shohei Ohtani has officially opened.

Major League Baseball's owners unanimously voted to ratify the new posting agreement between the league, the players association, and Nippon Professional Baseball on Friday, allowing negotiations to begin for the two-way Japanese star.

The 23-year-old will be posted later Friday.

While little is known regarding Ohtani's preferences when it comes to where he'll sign, his agent did distribute a questionnaire to all clubs last week asking for written explanations in both English and Japanese. Interested teams were requested to evaluate Ohtani's talent as a pitcher and as a hitter, to detail resources for his cultural assimilation into the club's city, and to demonstrate a vision for how he could integrate into the organization, among other things.

Once Ohtani decides on a team, he will pen a minor-league contract and can receive a signing bonus based on the amount of international bonus pool money the team has. The Texas Rangers own the largest bonus pool of $3.535 million, while the New York Yankees have the second biggest at $3.5 million. The winning team will also need to pay Ohtani's Japanese team, the Nippon-Ham Fighters, a $20-million posting fee.