As you probably have read, Japanese ERA leader and free agent Hiroki Kuroda has re-signed with his current team the Hiroshima Carps. It was expected that he would stay in Japan, but it was thought he might sign with the Hanshin Tigers to be their ace.
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At one point, the posting of 27 year-old southpaw Kei Igawa by Hanshin was said to depend on the team signing Kuroda to replace him as the staff ace. Despite that option disappearing, it is expected that Igawa will still be posted this week.
71% of Japanese baseball fans filling out this survey believe Igawa will not succeed in the Majors (the orange represents "will not succeed.")
38 year-old starting pitcher Masumi Kuwata is a free agent and will try his hand at MLB this season. The righty hasn’t pitched well since 2002, however. He might not make it out of Triple A, but the Indians have already shown interest.
The winning bid for third baseman Akinori Iwamura will not be made public by Yakult, but it is estimated to be just $1MM. The winning team should be known around Monday or Tuesday.
