Tazawa agrees to 3-year Red Sox contract
In the absence of big offseason news, the Red Sox are continuing to put smaller pieces in place. This week, they likely will confirm one of the worst-kept secrets in baseball.
Junichi Tazawa is coming to Boston.
According to a baseball source, the 22-year-old Tazawa will arrive in Boston this week after reaching agreement with the Sox on a three-year contract worth roughly $3 million. Tazawa is expected to undergo a physical in the next few days that will allow the sides to clear the final hurdle in negotiations. The Sox hope to officially announce his acquisition by the end of the week.
Though Tazawa was courted by several teams and offered more money by at least one - the Texas Rangers - the pitcher reportedly was interested in pitching for the Sox. Team officials have been scouting Tazawa for more than a year after having made major inroads in the Japan talent pool with the signings of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima during the 2006-07 offseason.
Despite his having no professional experience in Japan, Tazawa's deal is a major league contract, meaning he will occupy a spot on Boston's 40-man roster. Nonetheless, Tazawa is expected to begin his career in the minor leagues, though his ascension to the majors could come rapidly.
While major league deals for relatively inexperienced players are somewhat unusual, they are not unprecedented. In 2005, for instance, the Sox drafted and signed reliever Craig Hansen to a major league contract worth roughly $4 million over four years. Though he opened his career in the minor leagues, Hansen was in the majors within a few months of being drafted.
As for Tazawa, assessments of his talents have varied and, in some cases, been grossly inaccurate. Some reports have placed his fastball in the range of 95-97 miles per hour when, in fact, Tazawa has been clocked consistently in the low 90s. He is said to have good command of both a breaking ball and changeup, the latter reportedly having the action of a split-fingered fastball.
One major league evaluator placed Tazawa's talent in the range of a mid- to high first-round draft selection, suggesting that his upside could be quite high. However, Sox officials are being cautious about overhyping the pitcher in the wake of the success of Matsuzaka, who became the subject of international interest when the Sox spent a whopping $51.11 million solely for his negotiating rights, and Okajima.
Earlier this offseason, one Sox official likened Tazawa, at a minimum, to former major leaguer Shigetoshi Hasegawa, a middle reliever and setup man who pitched quite effectively for the Seattle Mariners and the Anaheim Angels from 1997-2005.
It is unclear whether the Sox view Tazawa in the long term as a starter or reliever. Regardless, Tazawa's case has drawn considerable interest in Japan because the pitcher elected to forgo a professional career in Japan so he could play in the United States.
Though Tazawa's deal is three years in length, the Sox will possess his rights until the player has six years of major league service.
Once Tazawa's contract expires, he will become subject to the rules of a drafted player, meaning he would be eligible for arbitration in each season after accruing three, four, and five years of service time.
The earliest Tazawa could be eligible for free agency would be in the fall of 2014. For that to happen, he would have to make the 25-man roster next spring and remain with the big club for six seasons.
Tony Massarotti can be reached at tmassarotti@globe.com. 