LOS ANGELES -- Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters right-hander Kohei Arihara, making the move to the major leagues through the posting system, has agreed to a two-year contract with the Texas Rangers, it was reported by several U.S. media outlets Friday.
According the official Major League Baseball website, the two sides agreed on a deal worth 6 million dollars to 7 million dollars over two years. The deal was reached ahead of the negotiating deadline of 5 p.m. Saturday EST.
The 28-year-old Arihara compiled an 8-9 record in 20 starts in the pandemic-affected 2020 season.
The Fighters' No. 1 draft pick out of Waseda University in 2015, he earned the Pacific League Rookie of the Year award that year after going 8-6. In 2019, he won a career-best 15 games, and announced after the season his intention of making a future jump to the majors.
In six seasons with the Fighters, Arihara went 60-50 in 129 starts with two saves and a 3.74 earned run average. He struck out 626 and walked 194 in 836 innings.
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