I haven’t covered in-NPB transactions much since the Shimizu trade, so let’s catch up. Here’s a summary:
Yokohama signed catcher Tasuku Hashimoto away from Lotte
Yakult signed infielder Atsushi Fujimoto away from Hanshin
Lotte brought pitcher Yasuhiko Yabuta back from the Royals organization
Nippon Ham signed pitcher Masao Kida away from Yakult
Lotte signed pitcher Hidetaka Kawagoe, released by Orix
Lotte signed pitcher Akichika Yamada and catcher Noaki Matoba, both released by SoftBank
Lotte extended a spring training invite to infielder Makoto Imaoka
Nippon Ham traded pitchers Yataro Sakamoto, Suguru Matsuyama and infielder Naoto Inada to Yokohama for pitchers Takeharu Katoh, Takahiro Matsuka and outfielder Yuta Sekiguchi
Yomiuri signed Masahide Kobayashi, formerly of the Indians
Yomiuri traded pitcher Hiroshi Kisanuki to Orix for pitcher Yasunari Takagi
Yomiuri is about to sign no longer shaggy pitcher Shugo Fujii
I think that brings us up to date… did I miss anyone?
Clearly Lotte, Yokohama and Yomiuri have been the most active in the last few weeks. Yokohama is clearly retooling, and I think they’re heading in the right direction. Signing Hashimoto is a solid move.
The deal with the most upside is Orix fleecing Yomiuri for Kisanuki. The Buffaloes basically got a guy who’s proven he can start effectively when healthy for a lefty reliever who has two good seasons to his name, most recently 2007. Yomiuri certainly knows more about Kisanuki’s health than I do, but it looks like a great deal for Orix to me.
Hanshin appears to be making progress in their search for pitching.
Daily Sports is reporting that the Hanshin is sending a representative to the States next week to finalize a deal with big righty Randy Messenger. He will, of course, be billed in the Japanese media as a former teammate of Kenji Johjima’s. But given that Messenger nearly joined the Carp in mid-2009, Joh’s influence in this signing may wind up getting just a tiny bit overstated.
Daily also mentions that the Tigers are still looking at Jason Bulger as well, and if he comes off the Angels’ 40-man roster they could make a play for him.
The article suggests that the two sides have been negotiating, but are still a few dollars apart. Chunichi has reportedly offered $200k, a $50k raise from 2009, while Payano is looking for $250k. It doesn’t seem like an insurmountable gap, but Payano seems like he’s already made up his mind to go back to MLB affiliated ball. “I haven’t signed yet, but I feel that I want to play in America next year,” said Payano, later adding “I appreciate being able to play for a year with the Dragons, and the championship battle with the Giants is a good memory.”
According to the article, Payano already has interest from Korea and multiple MLB teams, including the Rockies.
I didn’t see Payano pitch this season, but my data indicates that he’s a primarily a fastball/slider pitcher.
Losing Payano would put Chunichi down a lefty reliever, a situation compounded by the Dragons’ failure to sign sixth-round draft pick Takahiro Suwabe. Look for Chunichi to rely on Domingo Martinez’s ability to locate Dominican talent once again to fill this role.