Tomohiro Nioka Rumors

NPB Rumors: Tazawa, Iwase, Iguchi

Some Japanese baseball-related rumors, courtesy of Patrick Newman at NPB Tracker: Seven teams have surfaced in Japanese media reports as suitors for free agent amateur pitcher Junichi Tazawa: the Red Sox, Braves, Mariners, Pirates, Tigers, Cubs, and Phillies. David O'Brien of the AJC says the Braves are "legit players" for Tazawa. The Red Sox are seen as the frontrunner, according to Paul Hoynes. Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald agrees that Boston is in the lead, and adds the Marlins to the mix. Reliever Hitoki Iwase will remain in Japan. Shortstop Tomohiro Nioka is a free agent, but may not...   Continue Reading

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Tomohiro Nioka Not A Free Agent

Tomohiro Nioka is a 31-year old shortstop for the Yomiuri Giants. Turns out he was not eligible for free agency this winter, though. I recently asked Bob Bavasi of JapanBall.com about Nioka; his reply is below. Nioka, the Giants shortstop, missed a good chunk of the season in 2001 and 2004 because of injury. So, even though he has played in nine seasons, nine years being necessary to become a free agent, he lost too much time with injuries during those two years and, therefore, did not qualify. He should be able to file for free agency at the end..   Continue Reading

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Mailbag: Nioka, Crede, Snell

Let's dig through the ol' mailbag once again. Feel free to shoot an email to mlbtraderumors@gmail.com. Do you have any news regarding Japanese shortstop Tomohiro Nioka? Is he a free agent and are any teams pursuing him? - Bob It seems that Nioka turned out to be ineligible for free agency. We'll have to keep an eye out for him next year. What's up with Joe Crede? Will the ChiSox be looking to deal him this summer if they are struggling? And if so, you have to believe the Phillies would be top contenders for him. - Dan I'm almost..   Continue Reading

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Ted Berg On Japanese Pitchers

SNY's Ted Berg has an informative blog post about Japanese pitchers who may come over to MLB for the 2008 season (found via MetsBlog). Berg discusses the situations of Koji Uehara, Hiroki Kuroda, Kenshin Kawakami, Hitoki Iwase, Masahide Kobayashi, and Kazumi Saito. So far only Uehara and Kuroda have been discussed here at MLBTR. I'm planning to dig up some info on Iwase, but the other three guys are new to me. Japanese position players to have on the radar include outfielder Kosuke Fukudome and shortstop Tomohiro Nioka   Continue Reading

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Tomohiro Nioka Could Come To MLB

Tomohiro Nioka is a 31 year-old shortstop for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan. He's starting to generate a little buzz as a possible MLB crossover this winter, especially given the weak free agent shortstop market. Nioka will be a free agent this winter (no posting fee required). I haven't seen any recent quotes indicating that he wants to come over here, but he did say "I'd most definitely consider playing in the Major Leagues" back in 2003. The Daily Herald's Scot Gregor notes that the White Sox could opt to pursue Nioka over Juan Uribe. The Sox have had success..   Continue Reading

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