Red Sox make Tazawa an offer
Craig Shipley, the Red Sox vice president of international scouting, confirmed to the Globe's Amalie Benjamin that the club has made an offer to Japanese pitcher Junichi Tazawa, but did not offer further details.
Japanese newspapers Sankei Sports and Nikkan Sports in Tokyo reported earlier today that Red Sox vice president of international scouting Craig Shipley met with Tazawa for nearly two hours Sunday afternoon, and that the club made him an offer, reportedly for as much as $6 million, that would place the 22-year-old pitcher on the team's 40-man roster for 2009.
Four teams are thought to have offered contracts to Tazawa. The Rangers reportedly have made the highest offer, followed by Red Sox, then the Braves (reportedly in the $4 million-$5 million range). Terms of a potential offer by the Mariners are not known. Japanese newspapers seem to think the Red Sox have the edge, mostly because their development programs for young pitchers are highly regarded and because Tazawa's hero -- Daisuke Matsuzaka -- pitches for Boston.
Tazawa is still officially a member of the Nippon Oil team in the Japanese Industrial League. He will officially leave the team Tuesday, Nov. 25, and is expected to announce where he will play in 2009 shortly thereafter.
The Sox have been scouting Tazawa for more than a year, according to the Globe's Tony Massarotti, but a club official cautioned against unrealistic expectations for Tazawa, who likely needs time in the minor leagues and who might be a comparable talent to someone like former Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners righthander Shigetoshi Hasegawa.
According to Massarotti's source, Tazawa throws in the low 90s -- not in the 97-mile per hour range, as some have reported -- and possesses a good breaking ball to go along with a changeup.
Tazawa was passed over by Japan's 12 professional teams in the recent amateur draft. He had told Japanese teams not to draft him so he could pursue a career playing in the United States.
-- DAIGO FUJIWARA, GLOBE STAFF
The website NPBtracker.com is reporting that the Texas Rangers met with him for two hours yesterday and made him "the best offer yet." If this guy knows his baseball, you'd think he would want to come to Boston with all of our rich history and tradition. The 2 recent World Championships probably don't hurt either....
Why in the world are we paying that kind of money for a farm-team player. At the most, he would make an impact late in the season, and would divert resources away from recruiting a difference player like Mark Texiera. Pitchers are such a gamble anyway, this seems like throwing money away.
Wow. The Yanks respect the informal, decades long agreement w/Japanese baseball not to recruit their young, like they don't recruit ours. They have not entered any negotiations with this kid and Cashman said no way they will.
So next spring when everyone is trying to sign their first round pick and Scott Boras is using as leverage the offer he has from a Japanese team, we will have the oh so benevolent red sox organization to thank.
Oh, and good luck trading Mike Lowell too. There surely will be a big market for thatthat and Tiexiera is surely yours! Too funny . . .
I LIKE YOUR STYLE OF GETTING WHO WE THINK WE'LL NEED.
GO GET HIM!
wonder if this guy will be as good as dice-k.
The New York Times reported this week that he did in fact have a 97 mph fastball. The pitcher himself was quoted as saying he was shocked when it registered that high on the jug gun. What's the truth here?
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