Yankees win bidding rights to negotiate with Nakajima
Source: Agencies |
December 9, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE New York Yankees have won the exclusive negotiating rights with Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima, Major League Baseball said on Wednesday.
The Yankees, who submitted the highest bid in the posting process, have 30 days to sign the 29-year-old infielder, who would provide backup for 12-time All-Star Derek Jeter.
Multiple media reports said the Yankees' winning bid was close to US$2 million, beating out cross-town rivals the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. A career .300 hitter, Nakajima had a .314 batting average, 20 home runs, 93 runs batted in and 15 stolen bases for the Seibu Lions of Japan's Pacific League last season.
Meanwhile, Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish ended months of speculation yesterday by saying he intends to make a move to MLB.
The 25-year-old right-hander, considered the best pitcher in the Japanese leagues, wrote on his blog that he had decided to use the posting system, which allows MLB teams to bid for the negotiating rights to Japanese players who have yet to become free agents.
"I have decided to use the posting system," he said. "I wanted to tell my fans directly, so that is why I am posting this on my blog."
Darvish, the son of an Iranian father and a Japanese mother, went 18-6 with a league-leading 1.44 ERA this season for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. He had 276 strikeouts to lead the Pacific League.
The Fighters had given him approval to negotiate with a major league club through the posting system. Daisuke Matsuzaka and Ichiro Suzuki went to the major leagues under the system.
"I owe a lot of thanks to my team," Darvish said, adding he would provide more details at a news conference later. Darvish pitched in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was a member of the Japanese national team that won the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
The Yankees, who submitted the highest bid in the posting process, have 30 days to sign the 29-year-old infielder, who would provide backup for 12-time All-Star Derek Jeter.
Multiple media reports said the Yankees' winning bid was close to US$2 million, beating out cross-town rivals the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. A career .300 hitter, Nakajima had a .314 batting average, 20 home runs, 93 runs batted in and 15 stolen bases for the Seibu Lions of Japan's Pacific League last season.
Meanwhile, Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish ended months of speculation yesterday by saying he intends to make a move to MLB.
The 25-year-old right-hander, considered the best pitcher in the Japanese leagues, wrote on his blog that he had decided to use the posting system, which allows MLB teams to bid for the negotiating rights to Japanese players who have yet to become free agents.
"I have decided to use the posting system," he said. "I wanted to tell my fans directly, so that is why I am posting this on my blog."
Darvish, the son of an Iranian father and a Japanese mother, went 18-6 with a league-leading 1.44 ERA this season for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. He had 276 strikeouts to lead the Pacific League.
The Fighters had given him approval to negotiate with a major league club through the posting system. Daisuke Matsuzaka and Ichiro Suzuki went to the major leagues under the system.
"I owe a lot of thanks to my team," Darvish said, adding he would provide more details at a news conference later. Darvish pitched in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was a member of the Japanese national team that won the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
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