The San Diego Padres have signed Seibu Lions submarine right-hander Kazuhisa Makita via the posting system, the National League club announced Saturday.

Makita, who became the second player to use the posting system this offseason after Shohei Ohtani, inked a two-year contract with the Padres worth about $4 million. Seibu submitted the paperwork for him to move to the majors on Dec. 11, and clubs willing to pay the posting fee were given 30 days to negotiate a deal.

Makita joined Seibu in 2011 and was the Pacific League's rookie of the year after being the Lions' No. 2 pick in the 2010 draft. His pitching versatility allowed the Lions to use him as a starter, reliever and closer in his seven-year career.

In 276 games, he had 53 wins, 49 losses, and 25 saves with a 2.83 ERA. He played for Japan in the World Baseball Classic last March, and posted one win and two saves.

"I was with the Lions for seven years, and I am so grateful to my managers, the coaches, the staff, my teammates and the fans," Makita said. "Thank you so much."

Japanese reliever Akinori Otsuka pitched for the Padres and is currently a coach in the San Diego organization, while manager Andy Green played briefly for the Nippon Ham Fighters.

Makita is the team's first Japanese player since general manager A.J. Preller joined the club in 2014. In addition to Otsuka, Preller has brought former big league pitchers Hideo Nomo and Takashi Saito and former Fighters strength coach Seiichiro Nakagaki.