NPB Tracker

When I read on mlbtraderumors.com then other day that the Padres had released Eulogio De La Cruz, I thought to myself “I wonder if an NPB team will go after him.” Turns out the Yakult Swallows are doing exactly that. Sanspo says that the Swallows are “going to acquire” De La Cruz, with an official announcement coming next week.

De La Cruz looked good against the Giants this year (I had De La Cruz mixed up with Edward Mujica), De La Cruz certainly fits the profile of hard throwing relievers that NPB teams seem to be targeting this offseason. You’d think that Yakult would be looking for him to step in to the shoes of the departing Ryota Igarasahi, but according to Sanspo they expect him to start.

Chunichi found a gem last year in the previously unheralded Tony Blanco, and is looking for more of the same. The Dragons have been scouting the Dominican this offseason, and came up with four signings:

• Dionys Cesar
• Edward Valdez
• Candido Jesus (ikusei player)
• Joaquin Santamaria (ikusei player)

All four players have played for MLB affiliated ball and you can easily look up their stats on baseball-reference.com.

Of these four, Cesar is the interesting one. A 15 year minor league veteran, Cesar has never reached the majors, and has spent the last several seasons in the Mexican League. He’s coming off a phenomenal season in Mexico, having hit .380 with 58 walks and only 36 strikeouts. Chunichi sees him as a utility guy who will play in the infield and outfield, taking over for the retired Tomas de la Rosa.

Chunichi has a growing interest in Dominican baseball. In addition to signing all these players, the Dragons employ former NPB slugger Domingo Martinez as a scout, and having been sending players to take part in the Dominican Winter League. I wonder if they’ll eventually set a full-time academy there, like the Carp have.

The respective markets for Ryota Igarashi and Hisanori Takahashi seem to be heating up.

First on Igarashi… I’ve seen Arn Tellem quoted in a couple of places as saying “discussions are progressing. It looks like we’ll have a decision sooner than I thought.” Here’s the breakdown:

• Sports Hochi says the countdown is running toward a move to the Mets, and that Omar Minaya is getting his intelligence on Igarashi from none other than Bobby Valentine.
• An earlier Hochi report said that Igarashi’s camp negotiated with the Orioles on the 9th, who would pair him up in the bullpen with Koji Uehara. Hochi also named the Padres and Diamondbacks as interested.
• Sponichi throws the Yankees in the mix, saying that he could backfill for Brian Bruney or, in the event he is traded, Joba Chamberlain. This feels the most speculative of the rumors we have so far, but Sponichi does quote the projected line on Igarashi’s contract is two years, $2-3m. It wasn’t clear if that $2-3m is annual or cumulative, but either way, two years at $1-3m seems like a reasonable range.

Takahashi is getting less ink but things do seems to be starting to move for him.

• Sports Hochi has an article saying that his representatives have gotten interest from multiple teams, including the Nationals, Mets and Dodgers.
• Sanspo is saying that the Orioles are interested, which we’ve seen before.
• Takahashi is reiterating that he wants to remain a starter after moving MLB.