Mets Near Deal With Ryota Igarashi?

8:42pm: Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post spoke with a Mets official who is still confident the Mets will sign Igarashi. Hubbuch adds that the two sides are "still in talks" and that "nothing is imminent."

4:36pm: Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker points us to a Japanese report that says the Red Sox are the leaders to sign Igarashi. They're apparently willing to offer a two-year deal worth $2-3MM in total.

2:51pm: Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post confirms that the Mets are in serious talks with Igarashi.

2:07pm: The Mets are close to signing Japanese pitcher Ryota Igarashi to a two-year deal, according to David Waldstein of the New York Times. The 30-year-old righty attracted interest from a number of teams. He'll have the chance to set up Francisco Rodriguez, now that J.J. Putz has signed with the White Sox.

ESPN.com's Keith Law says Igarashi is a "slightly wild power reliever" who will throw 93-96 mph. He recovered from Tommy John surgery to take on a regular workload last season.