Yusei Kikuchi: To be posted this winter

Kikuchi is expected to be made available to major-league clubs through the posting system this winter, Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times reports.

Though the left-hander remains under contract with the Seibu Lions of Japan's Pacific League through next season, the team will accommodate his request to find a home in Major League Baseball during the upcoming free-agency period. A three-time All-Star in Japan (2013, 2017, 2018), Kikuchi logged a 3.08 ERA and 8.4 K/9 during this past season. Per Fangraphs' Sung Min Kim, Kikuchi compares to Patrick Corbin of the Diamondbacks, with a "heavy fastball-slider combo," though he does throw a curveball roughly "10 percent of the time." He has had some injury issues in the past, as he was shut down in the 2010 and 2013 seasons due to shoulder troubles.