Posted NPB, KBO players reportedly must sign before current MLB CBA ends on December 1

The 2026 MLB postseason just ended, but now everyone is locked in to December 1, 2026. On that date, the current Collective Bargaining Agreement ends, and a lockout between players and ownership would begin. While a lockout comes with plenty of ins and outs, one under-the-radar aspect is how it affects this year's crop of international players hoping to sign with an MLB team. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal said the negotiation window won't pause because of the looming lockout, and any posted players must sign by 5 p.m. ET on December 1.Last year's class featured Munetaka Murakami (Chicago White Sox), Kazuma Okamoto (Toronto Blue Jays), and Tatsuya Imai (Houston Astros).On November 1, four players from NPB and KBO were posted. Pitchers Kaima Taria and Hiromi Itoh and infielders Teruaki Sato and Si-Hwan Roh are now free to negotiate with all 30 teams. One big difference this year, though, is that the negotiations will have to move quickly. The last lockout ahead of the 2021-2022 season paused the league's negotiation window. Rosenthal reported that this won't happen this year. Currently, posted international players from the NPB have 45 days to negotiate a deal with an MLB team. If they don't reach an agreement, they return to their Japanese team. That is still the case this year, but players won't have 45 days. Instead, if they want to agree to a deal, they must complete it by 5 p.m. ET on December 1, before the current CBA expires. With their posting becoming official on November 1, that gives them just 30 days to close deals. Under this CBA, KBO players normally have 30 days to sign, and that time frame remains the same. Roh will have the normal 30-day window, but it also ends at 5 p.m. ET on December 1. Sato may be a player that those who watched the 2026 World Baseball Classic have heard of. He played for Team Japan and went 3-for-10 at the plate, but all three hits were doubles. He was the Central League’s best player in Nippon Professional Baseball this year. He earned the Triple Crown, leading the league in average (.306), home runs (39), and RBI (106). The 27-year-old Sato also won his second consecutive MVP Award. The 26-year-old Taria pitched in 23 games this year and worked to a 12-5 record with a 1.36 ERA. Itoh, 29, made 26 appearances in NPB this year and posted a 10-10 record with a 3.18 ERA. Roh is the lone KBO player posted so far. He will have the standard 30-day window to sign as a KBO player. The 25-year-old slashed .283/.360/.505 this season with 29 home runs and 96 RBI.