MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball's new posting system caps the fee for players at $20 million, less than half what Japanese teams received for pitchers Yu Darvish and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

"I informed my team that I would like them to allow me to test my abilities in Major League Baseball next season," Tanaka said at a news conference on Tuesday after a meeting with Rakuten Eagles President Yozo Tachibana.

Tanaka, a 25-year-old right-hander, went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Pacific League during the regular season. He will not become eligible for free agency until after the 2015 season and can move to MLB only if the Eagles agree to post him.

The Eagles, who won the Japan Series, voted against the new posting agreement in balloting by Japan's 12 teams on Monday and say they want Tanaka to remain with them for next season.

"We told him he is very important to us and we'd like him to stay," Tachibana said.

Under the rules of the three-year agreement announced Monday, a Japanese club may make players available between Nov. 1 and Feb. 1 and may set a price of up to $20 million.

Starting with the day after a player is posted and continuing for 30 days, any big league team willing to pay the fee may attempt to sign the player. A major league team pays the posting fee only if it signs the player, and the fee is then payable in installments, with the timing dependent on the amount.

A player who is not signed may not be posted again until the following Nov. 1.

Under the previous agreement, which began in 1998 and ran through last offseason, there was no cap on bidding and only the MLB team with the highest bid could negotiate with the player.


BALFOUR TO O'S


The Baltimore Orioles have their new closer.

According to multiple reports, the Birds have agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal with veteran reliever Grant Balfour.

Balfour, who turns 36 this month, is slated to replace Jim Johnson in the closer's role for the Orioles. Johnson, who led the American League in saves in 2012 and 2103, was dealt to the Oakland A's last week for for infielder Jemile Weeks and a player to be named.

So that means Johnson will replace Balfour for the A's and Balfour will replace Johnson for the O's.

Balfour made the AL All-Star team in 2013, a year in which he saved 36 games with a 2.59 ERA and 1.197 WHIP. For this career, the big Australian is 28-17 with a 3.27 ERA  and 72 saves in 10 years with the Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays and A's.


YANKS ADD THORNTON, ROBERTS


The New York Yankees agreed to a $2 million, one-year contract with second baseman Brian Roberts and a $7 million, two-year deal with left-hander Matt Thornton, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the agreements are contingent on physicals.

When the agreements are completed, along with a pending three-year deal with outfielder Carlos Beltran, the Yankees' projected luxury tax payroll for 2014 will rise to $177.7 million. That's about the maximum if the team wants to remain under the $189 million threshold, which includes $11 million to $12 million for benefits.

New York would gain flexibility if Alex Rodriguez is suspended for most of the season, relieving the team of a large percentage of his $25 million salary.

An All-Star in 2005 and 2007, the 36-year-old Roberts had spent his entire 13-year major league career with Baltimore. He has not played a full season since 2009 because of injuries.

Roberts is among the options at second base to replace Robinson Cano, who left the Yankees for a $240 million, 10-year contract with Seattle. Kelly Johnson, signed to a $3 million deal, is another possibility.

Roberts signed a $48 million, five-year contract before the 2009 season, then hit .283 with 16 homers, 79 RBIs and a big league-high 56 doubles.

His injury problems started the following year, when he missed most of spring training with a herniated disk in his back, then strained an abdominal muscle in the fourth game of the season while stealing second base against Toronto on April 9.

Contributors: Justin McGuire, The Associated Press