Okajima Changes Agents
Hideki Okajima, who will be a free agent in the upcoming offseason is looking to re-sign (didn’t forget the hyphen this time) with the Boston Red Sox. To that end, he has dismissed agent Peter Greenberg and will be represented by Boston-based Joe Rosen.
Regarding the change, Okajima was quoted as saying “The agent and I were not on the same page regarding contracts. There was no specific communication done and I struggled to understand.” With the Red Sox showing strong interest in re-signing Okajima, he did not want to take any risks and went with a more established Boston-area guy. Okajima stated another positive point about Rosen is that, “he will be able to help me in community involvement as well.”
There seems to be no question that both sides are looking to reconnect and the change in agents shows how Okajima is committed to staying with the Red Sox. With the contribution of Okajima in his three seasons with the Red Sox posting a 2.72 ERA in 198 games, it should be a quick negotiation.
22/10/2009 at 9:48 am Permalink
Is he eligible to be a free agent this offseason? He only has 3 years of MLB service…or are FA rules different for international players?
22/10/2009 at 10:35 am Permalink
Actually, no. Some Japanese veterans negotiate out of the service time requirements, and I kind of figured he had as well, but that is not the case.
http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2009/02/24/hideki-okajima-red-sox-contract/ (Thanks Tim for the link)
So he’s not a FA but he’s also not under contract so he’ll have to work out a new deal with Boston or go to arb. I guess he felt going with Rosen improved his chances of doing that.
22/10/2009 at 11:32 pm Permalink
I see. Thanks for explanation.