Seiya Suzuki of the Hiroshima Carp hits a run-scoring double at Jingu Stadium in Tokyo, on Nov. 10, 2020. (Mainichi/Naotsune Umemura)

       LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) -- Hiroshima Carp slugger Seiya Suzuki will be made available to big-league clubs via the posting process this offseason, MLB.com said Friday citing a source.

       Suzuki batted cleanup for gold medal-winning Japan at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. He led the Central League with a .317 batting average and .433 on-base percentage, while hitting a career-high 38 homers for the fourth-place Carp.

       "I really am not sure what will happen in the future...I believe we'll be having talks on many things," Suzuki said after Hiroshima's final game of the season on Monday against the Hanshin Tigers.

       The MLB.com story said the 27-year-old "will compete with free agent Starling Marte as this winter's top available outfielder" and he has also "earned comparisons to Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr."

       A five-time CL Best Nine Award winner and the MVP when Japan won the 2019 WBSC Premier12 tournament, Suzuki turned pro in 2013 after being taken in the second round out of high school, where he was a slugging hard-throwing pitcher.

       Nippon Professional Baseball teams have a Dec. 5 deadline to post players, who can then negotiate freely with MLB clubs.

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