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Japanese Players On Rays' Radar

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By MARC LANCASTER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 8, 2007

Updated: 11/08/2007 12:15 am

ORLANDO - In a roundabout way, the season Hideki Okajima put together as a 31-year-old rookie for Boston could make Tampa Bay's quest to shore up its bullpen that much more difficult.

Not that teams weren't on the lookout before, but the success of the free-agent reliever who signed a two-year, $2.5 million deal with the Red Sox last winter only served to highlight the potential bargains available as more veteran Japanese players look to make the jump to the major leagues.

A number of players - most of them pitchers - reportedly are considering such a move this offseason, and the best news for big-league teams is that none of them will have to navigate the ponderous "posting" system.

The headlines from last year's general managers' meetings in Naples were dominated by Boston's sensational $51.1 million bid for the right to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka, and the Rays learned during that week that they had the high bid for Akinori Iwamura at $4.5 million.

No Japanese player has been posted so far this offseason, and there's a decent chance none will be. That leaves the market to free agents, who earn that right only after accruing nine years of service time in the Japanese major leagues. Eligible players in Japan's Central and Pacific leagues have until the end of this week to declare free agency.

Beginning next week, they can sign with any team, anywhere, and major-league front offices are ready to pounce.

"We were active scouting the Japanese leagues this year, and there certainly are some guys that are on our radar," Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. "I expect the market to be more active than it has been in the past."

The prime target figures to be starter Hiroki Kuroda, who has a 3.69 ERA in 11 seasons with Hiroshima and posted a 1.85 ERA in 2006. Projected as a No. 2 or 3 starter by many, Kuroda reportedly is drawing strong interest from Seattle and Philadelphia, among others.

But it's the relievers available that have the Rays' attention. They are believed to have interest in right-handers Kazuo Fukumori and Masahide Kobayashi, but others also may be in play. The question on many observers' minds is how the market for Japanese free agents will react in light of the success of low-profile signings like Okajima and Takashi Saito, who joined the Dodgers on a minor-league deal before the 2006 season and has become a reliable closer.

"We'll see how that market unfolds," Friedman said. "It'll be very interesting to see in light of some of the recent success, what that means for the market."

The only certainty is that scouting and signing players from Japan is no longer the exclusive province of teams on the West Coast and in big markets.

"It's becoming a world market, and nobody has the strength to just sit in one place," Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said. "Whether it's Japan, the Dominican, Venezuela, Korea - it doesn't matter. If there's free agents out there, talent that can be signed, clubs are going to be looking hard at it."

Despite the success of recent arrivals like Matsuzaka and Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima, a seamless transition to the majors is hardly guaranteed. The Rays don't have to be reminded of that after the failure of 2006 acquisition Shinji Mori to so much as pitch an inning for them the last two seasons.

But that won't deter the Rays or most of their counterparts from taking a long look at what Japan has to offer in the coming weeks.

"There's been teams looking over there forever," Bavasi said.

"It's just now you're getting a bigger class every year over there of players comfortable coming out."

Reporter Marc Lancaster can be reached at (813) 259-7227 or mlancaster@tampatrib.com.

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