NPB Tracker

If you find yourself in the minority of people who are more interested in where Hisanori Takahashi winds up than the Super Bowl, this one’s for you.

Sanspo has published a report saying that the Pirates have suddenly emerged as a destination for Takahashi. I’d read earlier that Takahashi prefers the west coast, but he’s also been saying all offseason that he wants a major league deal and wants to start. The Pirates don’t exactly have the strongest rotation in the world, so it’s feasible that they could have MLB starts to offer him this season. Bringing in Takahashi may work for the Pirates if he can eat up a few innings and buy them some time with some of their prospects, plus Aki Iwamura is around to ease his transition. But, you know, that sounds pretty stopgap-ish, and if you’re going to be a stopgap, why not be one in San Diego? Assuming the opportunity is available, of course.

Sanspo also runs down the latest status from Takahahi’s other suitors:

• The Giants made an offer, but never heard back
• The Dodgers are targeting other pitchers
• The Mets were moving towards a MLB contract, but couldn’t reach a compromise on money
• The Orioles were very interested but went in a different direction because Takahashi’s demands were too high

Finally, Sponichi says that Takahashi has traveled to Arizona, and was planning to throw for scouts today.

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