Pitch is made for Japanese prospect Tazawa

Red Sox vice president of international scouting Craig Shipley confirmed yesterday that the Sox have made a contract offer to 22-year-old righthander Junichi Tazawa, a starting pitcher for the Japanese Industrial League team Nippon Oil. While Tazawa is not expected to have an immediate impact on a major league team - needing time in the minors first - he is among the best of this year's crop of Japanese players.

The Sox are not alone in their interest, with offers reportedly coming from the Rangers, Braves, and Mariners in addition. The Tigers were also scouting Tazawa. It does appear that the Sox are favored to win Tazawa's services at this point, though the Rangers' offer might be worth more.

Japanese newspapers Sankei Sports and Nikkan Sports reported that the offer is for $6 million and would put the 5-foot-11-inch, 180-pound Tazawa on the Red Sox' 40-man roster, though that could not be confirmed as of last night.

According to newspapers, Tazawa will decide on the offers when he leaves the Nippon Oil team today and joins the open market. His current team is not part of the professional leagues in Japan; he requested not to be drafted by any of the 12 pro teams in his country so he could sign with a major league team in the United States without having to go through the posting process. That brings the price down significantly.

The Sox have been scouting Tazawa for more than a year, but there are conflicting reports on his tools. It has been reported that he throws around 97 miles per hour, though a club official told the Globe that the lower 90s might be more accurate.

Boras disputes report

Despite a report that the Sox had made a one-year offer to Jason Varitek, agent Scott Boras said the team has not begun negotiations with the free agent catcher. Boras said he knew nothing about the report, which appeared on weei.com. The report said the Sox had made a one-year proposal, the value of which did not match the average annual value of Jorge Posada's pact with the Yankees, which Boras had cited as a comparable for a Varitek deal. Posada has a four-year, $52 million deal.

Nick Cafardo and Tony Massarotti of the Globe staff contributed to this report.