Japanese Phenom Shoki Oda Linked to Yankees, Dodgers, Phillies, Rangers in New MLB Rumors

With 18-year-old pitching phenom Shoki Oda eyeing an immediate move to MLB rather than starting his pro career in his native Japan, several clubs have been linked to the right-hander.

Per MLB insider Francys Romero , Oda is expected to meet with the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, among others, ahead of him potentially being eligible to sign when the international signing period opens on Jan. 15.

Romero also reported the eight officials from the Texas Rangers met with Oda this week that "left a great impression" on the teen phenom.

Oda does appear to have a favorite among the potential interested teams if the choice is left up to him.

Dylan Hernandez of the New York Post noted Oda's favorite player is Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the only MLB club he follows on Instagram is the Dodgers.

Oda announced on Oct. 15 he intends to move to the United States to pursue his baseball career rather than enter the NPB draft. He included college baseball among his options if he were to go unsigned by MLB teams.

This is becoming a growing trend among Japanese-born players in order to get into MLB at a younger age.

Rintaro Sasaki, who set the high school home run record in Japan, opted to sign with the Miami Marlins after being selected in the eighth round of the 2026 draft. He had previously been a first-round pick by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the NPB draft in October 2025.

Shotaro Morii signed with the Athletics as an international free agent in January 2025. Genei Sato will pitch for Penn State next season to be eligible for the 2027 MLB draft after transferring from Sendai University.

Oda, who pitched for Yokohama High School, has a fastball that has touched the high-90s already.

One potential wrinkle in Oda's immediate MLB plan is it's unclear if there will be an international signing period in January.

The league and MLB Players Association have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1 before the current CBA expires, which would lead to a lockout and freeze on all business.

It's also unclear what free agency for international players will look like under a new CBA because MLB has been proposing an international draft as part of its labor talks.

Under the current system, Oda would be subject to international signing rules and teams could only offer him a deal based on their allotted bonus money.