As the open market standstill continues here in North America, some notes out of Japan that have some minor big league implications…
- In a move that flew under our radar here at MLBTR, right-hander Tanner Scheppers signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball midway through January, the team announced at the time. The longtime Rangers righty has appeared in each of the past six seasons with Texas, totaling 183 innings with a 4.23 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. Elbow issues cost him much of the 2014 season, though, and he’s since been slowed by ankle and knee injuries. Overall, Scheppers has tossed just 12 2/3 innings in the Majors across the past two seasons.
- Right-hander Hideaki Wakui — a free-agent right-hander known to have interest in exploring a possible move to the Major Leagues — has re-signed with the Marines, the team announced this week (via the Japan Times). The 31-year-old won the 2009 Sawamura Award in Japan (the NPB’s Cy Young equivalent) but isn’t coming off one of his best seasons, having pitched to the second-highest ERA of his career in 2017 (3.99). Wakui has been both a closer and a starter but has made at least 25 starts in each of the past four seasons. Wakui has a career 3.45 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9 in more than 2000 innings as a pro in Japan. The Marines announced that he’s returning on a one-year deal, so it’s possible that he could gauge interest from MLB clubs once again next winter.
