Kenta Maeda moved a step closer to playing in Major League Baseball on Friday when the Hiroshima Carp agreed to post him.

Major League teams can earn the right to negotiate with Maeda for 30 days by agreeing to pay Hiroshima a maximum fee of $20 million.

Maeda, 27, is a two-time winner of the Sawamura Award given to Japan's top pitcher.

He is not eligible for free agency until 2017. Maeda first asked Hiroshima to post him two years ago, but the team declined.