Japanese Phenom Shoki Oda Reportedly Meeting with Yankees, More Teams amid MLB Contract Rumors

Shoki Oda, the 18-year-old pitching prodigy from Japan, has a busy Friday on tap as he is scheduled to meet with three different MLB teams.

According to MLB insider Francys Romero , Oda is expected to meet with the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and others.

Those meetings come after Oda met with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, according to Romero. He also recently had a meeting with officials from the Texas Rangers.

Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Phillies have also been mentioned as having interest in Oda.

Oda had a breakout moment over the summer during the Summer Koshien tournament in Japan when he struck out 12 over 8.2 innings.

Oda is planning a move to the United States to pursue opportunities in the country rather than start his professional career in NPB. He announced those intentions last month, though it remains unclear where he will begin his U.S. baseball career.

The right-hander would be eligible to sign with MLB teams as an international free agent starting on Jan. 15. However, with the pending lockout on Dec. 1, it's unclear if or when the international free-agent window will open.

Another wrinkle in the equation is one key aspect of MLB's proposals in a new collective bargaining agreement is an international draft.

If the draft were to be put in place, players would not have as much control over where they end up as they do in the current system.

Under the current international free-agent rules, Oda's potential contract would be limited to how much money a team offers with his bonus pool money. It's the same scenario that allowed the Dodgers to sign Roki Sasaki for a $6.5 million bonus two years ago.