NPB Tracker

Update, Dec 12: Sanspo is now reporting that a deal to the Brewers is ‘imminent’. The scenario put forth has Igawa included with Melky Cabrera in exchange for Mike Cameron. Bleacher Report disagrees though. Sanspo also says that the Yankees were trying to trade Igawa to Detroit for money.

Sanspo is reporting that Yankees are making progress in trade discussions involving Kei Igawa. Sanspo is calling out the Tigers as the most interested party, but they may just be enjoying the fact that Igawa is a former Hanshin Tiger. Igawa was decent in AAA in 2008, but the $12m he is still owed over the next three years is the stumbling block for an acquiring team.

Igawa is not the Yanks’ 40-man roster, and thus eligible for the rule 5 draft. Selecting him would require the acquiring team to keep him on their big league roster all year, or offer him back to New York (I think they’d probably let him go).

The Winter Meetings came and went without too many significant moves — a sign that MLB management is just as stuck by the bad economy as everyone else is.

On that sobering note, there are some rumblings on Koji Uehara and Ryoji Aikawa to share:

 

• Sanspo is reporting that Texas is working on 3-year, $10m+ proposal for Uehara. Team president Nolan Ryan is quoted as trusting Jim Colborn’s evaluation of Uehara, but they need a little more time to decide on a direction. The problem is, Texas prefers Uehara has a reliever, and he’s looking for a rotation job. The Mets met with Uehara’s agent in Las Vegas, and are planning to meet with him again. NY seems to prefer him in a bullpen role as well. 
• Sponichi repors that Ryoji Aikawa is getting a look from the Orioles, who seem intent on acquiring a Japanese player this offseason. The article speculates that the O’s might want him to help attract Uehara or Kenshin Kawakami — which I find spurious as you’d rather have those guys throwing to someone who knows the league. Nikkan Sports contradicts the Sponichi report, saying that he’s inching closer to joining Yakult.