Contract Crowdsourcing 2019-20: The KBO and NPB Ballot

Free agency begins five days after the end of the World Series. As in other recent offseasons, FanGraphs is once again facilitating a contract-crowdsourcing project this offseason, the idea being to harness the wisdom of the crowds to the end of better understanding the 2019-20 free-agent market.

Below are ballots for four of this year’s possible free agents — in this case, a group of players who may come to (or return to) Major League Baseball from Japan and Korea.

Shogo Akiyama, the 31-year-old left-handed center fielder who has been playing for the NPB’s Saitama Seibu Lions, was recently confirmed as an international free agent. Japanese outfielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, who is 27, will be posted by the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Left-handed starting pitcher Kim Kwang-Hyun, whose name may be familiar as he was posted in 2014 but was unable to come to terms with the San Diego Padres, has a more complicated case. The 31-year-old has a year remaining on his existing contract. Despite that, there is a chance he will be granted free agency and would not be subject to a posting fee. He may also be posted by his current club. Or he may stay put. He has been scouted by MLB teams, however, and so is included here. Right-handed starter Josh Lindblom, who last played in the States with the Pirates in 2017, has also generated some interest after a strong season with the Doosan Bears.