Red Sox turn to Daisuke Matsuzaka to help them land Shohei Ohtani

In their effort to land the next great pitching sensation from Japan, the Red Sox are expected to rely on their first.

Look for the Red Sox to use Daisuke Matsuzaka as part of their push to obtain Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani is expected to be posted later this week, following a vote by Major League Baseball owners to ratify the new posting system. That vote, conducted by phone, is scheduled for Friday, with the likelihood that Ohtani will be posted either the same day or the following day.

Teams must place $20 million in escrow to be able to negotiate with Ohtani, and his representatives, CAA. The team which wins his service will then have its $20 million transferred to the Nippon Ham Fighters, Ohtani’s Japanese team.

Last week, CAA sent a memo to all MLB clubs, requesting information on their facilities, medical training systems “and why their organization would be one that would make Ohtani feel comfortable.’’

As part of their pitch, the Red Sox intend to highlight the fact that they already have a number of Japanese staffers (on the training and media relations staff), their status as consistent contenders, the history of the franchise and Fenway Park, Boston’s reputation as a world-class city and the presence of Japanese schools in the greater Boston area.

To help make their point, the Sox will utilize Matsuzaka, who, more than a decade ago, was in a similar situation as Ohtani: a Japanese pitcher, entering his prime, and auctioning himself off to a host of MLB clubs.

(The obvious difference here is Ohtani’s ability to also contribute offensively as a potential two-way player).

Some five years after he last played for the Red Sox, Matsuzaka and his family still own a house in Brookline and they consider the Boston area their home base. That, the Red Sox believe, highlights Boston’s livability for an athlete with a similar background.

It’s unclear whether Matsuzaka, who was under contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks the last three seasons before being released earlier this month, will make an in-person appeal – either in Japan or Boston. But if one can’t be arranged, Matsuzaka could make a pitch through a pre-recorded video or phone call.

Matsuzaka isn’t the only Japanese pitcher who has pitched for the Red Sox. Prior to his arrival for the 2007 season, the Sox had Hideo Nomo in their rotation for 2001 and also have employed Tomo Ohka (1999-2001), Hideki Okajima (2007-2011), Takashi Saito (2009), Junichi Tazawa (2009-2016) and Koji Uehara (2013-2016).

None, however, parallels as closely with Ohtani as Matsuzaka did.

Of course, the Red Sox won’t be the only franchise leaning on former or present Japanese stars in their recruitment of Ohtani. The New York Yankees, to use one example, plan to enlist former outfielder Hideki Matsui along with current starter Masahiro Tanaka.

Ohtani, at 23, can’t be the beneficiary of an unlimited bidding war for his services the way Matsuzaka was. Teams can only offer what’s remaining in their international pool as a signing bonus.

The Red Sox have just $460,000 remaining in their pool, ranking them 12th among the 30 MLB franchises. The Yankees have $3.3 million, the second-highest total, behind the Texas Rangers at $3.5 million.

However, many observers believe that money will not necessarily be the determining factor in Ohtani’s decision-making process since he could have reaped a signing bonus approaching $200 million had he waited until he turned 25.

Many believe that Ohtani could be drawn to bigger markets like New York or Los Angeles in order to maximize his endorsement potential.

“If he’s good as everybody thinks,’’ countered one MLB executive recently, “he’s going to make a lot of money (marketing himself) no matter where he plays.’’