UNITED STATES – JAPANESE
PLAYER CONTRACT AGREEMENT
1) If a Japanese Professional Baseball Club (hereinafter referred to as a “JapaneseClub”) wishes to contact and engage a baseball player, professional or amateur, whois currently playing or has played baseball in the United States or Canada, and/or isunder contract with a Club that is a member of the National League or American
League of Professional Baseball Clubs (hereinafter referred to as an “AmericanPlayer”), the Japanese Club shall first request that the Office of the Commissioner ofJapanese Professional Baseball (hereinafter referred to as the “JapaneseCommissioner”) determine the status and availability of the American Player ashereinafter provided by communicating with the Major League Baseball Office ofthe Commissioner (hereinafter referred to as the “U.S. Commissioner”). The U.S.
Commissioner shall respond to a request from the Japanese Commissioner withinfour (4) business days. The Japanese Commissioner shall keep the identity of anyJapanese Club(s) inquiring as to the status of an American Player confidential in his
communications with the U.S. Commissioner.
2) If the American player is on the Reserve, Military, Voluntarily Retired, Restricted,Disqualified, Suspended or Ineligible List of any Club that is a member of theNational League or American League of Professional Baseball Clubs (“hereinafterreferred to as a “U.S. Major League Club”), as such Lists are described in the Major
League Rules adopted January 20, 2000, the Japanese Club shall not contact orengage the American Player unless approval to do so has been given by such U.S.
Major League Club through the U.S. Commissioner.
3) If the American Player is not one concerning whom approval must be obtained
under paragraph (2), the U.S. Commissioner shall so notify the JapaneseCommissioner and the Japanese Club may then contact and engage the American
Player. If approval is required under paragraph (2), the U.S. Commissioner shalltransmit to the Japanese Commissioner the approval or disapproval of the U.S.
Major League Club.
4) If a U.S. Major League Club wishes to contact and engage a baseball player,
professional or amateur, who is currently playing or who has played baseball inJapan and/or is under contract with a Japanese Club (hereinafter referred to as a1

“Japanese Player”), the U.S. Major League Club shall first request that the U.S.
Commissioner determine the status and availability of the Japanese Player in thesame manner that the status and availability of an American Player is determinedhereunder. The Japanese Commissioner shall respond to the request from the U.S.
Commissioner within four (4) business days. The U.S. Commissioner shall keep
the identity of any U.S. Major League Club(s) inquiring of the status of a JapanesePlayer confidential in his communications with the Japanese Commissioner.
5) If the Japanese Player is on the Reserve, Military, Voluntarily Retired, Restricted,Disqualified, Suspended or Ineligible List of any Japanese Club, as such Lists aredescribed in the Japanese Professional Baseball Rules as of February 1, 2000, theU.S. Major League Club shall not contact or engage the Japanese Player unlessapproval to do so has been given by the Japanese Club through the JapaneseCommissioner and then only pursuant to the procedures set forth in paragraphs (8)through (12) below.
6) If the Japanese Player is not one concerning whom approval must be obtained underparagraph (5), the Japanese Commissioner shall so notify the U.S. Commissioner
and the U.S. Major League Club may then contact and engage the Japanese Player.
If approval is required under paragraph (5), the Japanese Commissioner shalltransmit to the U.S. Commissioner the approval or disapproval of the Japanese Club.
If approval is granted, the procedures set forth in paragraphs (8) through (12) below
shall apply.
7) If, in response to an inquiry by a U.S. Major League Club or on its own initiative, aJapanese Club wishes to make a Japanese Player concerning whom approval must
be obtained under paragraph (5) available to U.S. Major League Clubs, such
Japanese Club may make such Japanese Player available to U.S. Major League
Clubs only pursuant to the procedures set forth in paragraphs (8) through (12)below.
8) With respect to a player covered by paragraph (5) whom a Japanese Club wishes tomake available to the U.S. Major League Clubs, the Japanese Club shall request thatthe Japanese Commissioner notify the U.S. Commissioner of the Japanese Club’s
desire to make the Japanese Player available. The U.S. Commissioner then shallpost the Japanese Player’s availability by notifying all U.S. Major League Clubs of2the intention of the Japanese Club to make the player available.
9) All requests by Japanese Clubs for postings must be made during the period
commencing on November 1 of a given year and ending on March 1 of thefollowing year and must be accompanied by the Japanese Club’s medical records,i.e., trainers’ reports and doctors’ reports in the possession of the Japanese Club for
the Japanese Player in question, which will be made available to the U.S. Major
League Clubs. Within four (4) business days of the posting of the availability of
the Japanese Player by the U.S. Commissioner, any interested U.S. Major League
Club must submit to the U.S. Commissioner a bid, composed of monetaryconsideration only, to be paid to the Japanese Club as consideration for the JapaneseClub relinquishing its rights to the player in the event that the U.S. Major League
Club reaches an agreement with the Japanese Player. No direct or indirect contact
may be made between a U.S. Major League Club and the Japanese Club concerning
a posted player and/or the amount of the bid to be submitted by a U.S. Major
League Club. The U.S. Commissioner shall have the authority, pursuant toparagraph (13) below, to take action that he deems appropriate in the event heconcludes that a contact prohibited by the preceding sentence has been madeconcerning a posted player.
10) At the conclusion of the bidding period, the U.S. Commissioner shall determine thehighest bidder among the U.S. Major League Clubs and that determination of thehighest bidder shall be conclusive and binding on all parties. The U.S.
Commissioner then shall notify the Japanese Commissioner of the amount of the bid
submitted by the successful bidder, and the Japanese Commissioner will have four(4) business days to notify the U.S. Commissioner of whether that bid is acceptable
to the Japanese Club involved.
11) If the highest bid is not acceptable to the Japanese Club making the Japanese Player
available, the Japanese Player’s posting will be withdrawn and another request forposting with respect to that Japanese Player shall be prohibited until the following
November 1. If the highest bid is acceptable to the Japanese Club, the U.S.
Commissioner shall award the sole, exclusive, and non-assignable right to negotiatewith and sign the posted Japanese Player to the U.S. Major League Club that
submitted the highest bid. That U.S. Major League Club then shall have 30 days
from the date of the notice by the U.S. Commissioner that the bid is acceptable to3

the Japanese Player’s Japanese Club in which to sign the Japanese Player. If theJapanese Player signs a contract with the U.S. Major League Club within 30-dayperiod, the U.S. Major League Club shall pay the Japanese Club the amount of its
successful bid within five (5) business days of the confirmation of terms with theMajor League Baseball Players Association in the case of a Major League Contract
or within five (5) business days of the reporting of terms to the U.S. Commissioner’s
Office in the case of minor league contract.
12) If the U.S. Major League Club, for any reason, fails to sign the Japanese Player
within the 30-day period, the U.S. Major League Club’s negotiation rights shalllapse and the U.S. Major League Clubs shall have no obligation to pay the JapanesePlayer’s Japanese Club the amount of its successful bid (or any other obligation
whatsoever). Further, another request for posting with respect to that JapanesePlayer shall be prohibited until the following November 1.
13) The U.S. Commissioner shall have the authority to oversee the bidding procedures
set forth in paragraphs (8) through (12) above to ensure that they not been
undermined in any manner. Among other actions that he may deem appropriate
and in the best interests of baseball, the U.S. Commissioner shall have the authorityto revoke a U.S. Major League Club’s exclusive negotiation rights with respect to aJapanese Player (and, subject to the Japanese Club’s approval pursuant to paragraph(11) above, to award such rights to the next highest bidder, if any) and to declarenull and void any contract between a Japanese Player and a U.S major League Clubthat the U.S. Commissioner deems was the result of conduct that was inconsistent
with this Agreement or otherwise not in the best interests of professional baseball.
14) U.S. Major League Clubs and Japanese Clubs are free to enter into working
agreements. Such working agreements, however, cannot provide a U.S. Club withexclusive or preferential rights to contract with Players on the Reserve, Military,Voluntarily Retired, Restricted, Disqualified, Suspended or Ineligible Lists of aJapanese Club. All working agreements must be filed with the U.S. and JapaneseCommissioners, and either Commissioner may take action to require modificationsof terms deemed to be inconsistent with this Agreement or otherwise not in the bestinterests of professional baseball in that country. The U.S. Commissioner shall beadvised immediately of any negotiations or transactions between Clubs and/or
Players of the United States and Japan.

415) This Agreement is subject to current and future legal restrictions in the United Statesand Japan.
16) If either party to this Agreement has a material change in its reserve rules or any
other rule identified in paragraph (2) or (5) herein, that party shall have anobligation immediately to notify the other party of the change, and the other party
shall have the right to seek renegotiation of and/or void this Agreement upon ten(10) days’ written notice.
17) Subject to paragraph 16 above, this Agreement shall have a term of two (2) years
commencing on December 15, 2000 and ending on December 15, 2002 (“the InitialTermination Date”). One hundred and eighty (180) days prior to the Initial
Termination Date, either the U.S. Commissioner or the Japanese Commissioner
shall have the right to give notice of his intention to modify or terminate thisAgreement and, promptly after the issuance of such notice, the parties shallcommence discussions concerning the extension or amendment of this Agreement.
If neither the U.S. Commissioner nor the Japanese Commissioner gives notices ofhis intention to modify or terminate this Agreement 180 days prior to the InitialTermination Date, this Agreement shall continue from year-to-year until either theJapanese Commissioner or the U.S. Commissioner gives notice of his intention tomodify or terminate this Agreement one hundred and eighty (180) days prior to anyanniversary of the Initial Termination Date.

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