Yeah I just went to Patrick's site. He can sign but would be barred from playing in Japan until 3 years after he left the States. Weird penalty.
I'd stick in Japan with that penalty unless Japanese top draft picks get awful amounts of money.
Plus, I think the NPB will send a nasty letter to the MLB or something like that.
This is against the spirit of the talent agreement they have. I'm surprised MLB is allowing it.
Interesting. Are there any articles that cover that angle of this?