Now Everyone Wants a Japanese Pitcher!

After I spent three long paragraphs and a lot of ranting and raving yesterday about how Larry Lucchino should lean on the Seibu Lions to "help out" with the Matsuzaka negotiations, they break a story that an MLB official- vice president of something or other- says that this sort of contract assistance would be verboten. Though in the article I read, the way that the MLB guy phrased it left some wiggle room. He said that the posting fee with the Lions was one deal, and the negotiations with Matsuzaka is another deal, and the two should not influence each other. It's sort of a "spirit" thing rather than a "letter" thing. I'm sure that there is some language in the description of the posting process to regulate this, so he's probably right. I'm also sure, however, that Larry Lucchino, Yale Law School grad, has read that language and is perfectly aware of what he can and cannot ask the Seibu Lions to do. I think ultimately what this may mean is that we won't actually know how the Lions will affect the negotiations- we won't be able to see the process above-board.

Meanwhile, it was announced that the Yankees won the bidding to negotiate with another Japanese pitcher- a 27-year old lefty named Kei Igawa of the Hanshin Tigers. Though it's clear he's no Matsuzaka, he does seem to be a quality arm- one of the top strikeout pitchers in NPB for the last three or four years. This is shaping up to be a very interesting sort of arms race- a perfect storm of big money washing into MLB, a clear lack of quality arms, big dollar signs in the eyes of Japanese teams, Japanese players wanting a big payday and the big stage of American Baseball, and the Red Sox looking like they're engaging the Yankees in a true spend-fest. Apparently, there is still another quality Japanese pitcher that could make the leap- a reliever for the Nippon Ham Fighters named Hideki Okajima. He hasn't been a closer (except for one year with the Yomiuri Giants), but has a good strikeout rate, at about 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings for his career. He's a free agent, so there's no posting fee to worry about. Word from the omniscient Buster Olney (has he reported any rumors that turned out to be really accurate in the last three years?) is that the Sox are talking to him about a two-year deal. Forget hot stove- this is hibachi time.

Finally, there are multiple reports today that the Sox and J.D. Drew are close to a multiyear deal, worth a reported $70 million over 5 years- which if my math is right works out to $14 million per. Gerry Callahan of WEEI and the Herald absolutely hates the possiblity of J.D. Drew playing for the Sox and getting paid that much, so I think that there's a strong possibility that this will be a good deal. In this market, the Sox can get a better player than Carlos Lee- a better overall hitter (fewer homers, I know) for fewer years and a lot less money. Looking at this deal independent of the Manny rumors and grumblings, this is good for the Sox. It gives them a high-quality right fielder, an excellent hitter in the five hole, and is not an outrageous contract relative to the market. He's not Manny. No one is. But he's a major upgrade on Trot Nixon, and he's a key piece to next year. If, of course, all of these reports are right.