Hisashi Iwakuma left for the Seatte out of Narita Airport on Saturday with his wife and kids and is currently scheduled to attend Seattle Mariners' FanFest.  Before leaving, he told reporters he has his sights set on pitching on opening day (3/28 at Tokyo Dome) and that he has been using an MLB regulation ball during practices (he is getting more break on his pitches).

===

Hiroki Kuroda worked out in Los Angeles on Friday.  His workouts began at 8am.  While playing catch, he mixed in his curve, fork, and change.  Kuroda could also toss a bullpen session sometime next week.

FYI: Kuroda gets to take his translator, Kenji Nimura, along with him to the Yankees.  He has also decided to temporarily hold off on updating his blog as he focuses on preparing for the upcoming season.

===

Ichiro Suzuki worked out for about two hours outdoors in Kobe on Saturday.

MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that there is a "good chance" Koji Uehara will be traded.  A snip:

According to Major League sources, there is a “pretty good chance” that reliever Koji Uehara is going to get traded soon. The Rangers, who acquired him from the Orioles on July 30 for Tommy Hunter and Chris Davis, would likely get prospects in return.

...

Uehara has become available since the signing of Yu Darvish because the Rangers have told Alexi Ogando there is a good chance that he could end up back in the bullpen.

===

The Seattle Times' Larry Stone mentions that the Seattle Mariners will let Ichiro Suzuki play out his current contract.

"Right now, at the end of the year, we mutually agreed we'd table any discussions, move forward and play the season and see what happens,'' he said. "Anything could happen at any point in time, but right now, our biggest concern is to go into spring training and watch all of our players and let the process work itself out."

That, of course, leaves open the possibility that Ichiro could become a true free agent for the first time in his career. But that's getting ahead of ourselves. The more pressing matter, for now, is where he's going to hit in 2012.

===

Sponichi is reporting that about ten teams were interested in Hiroki Kuroda and that the Arizona Diamondbacks may have given him the largest offer at US$13M a year.  In the end, it came down to the New York Yankees and Hiroshima Carp and according to someone involved, Kuroda spent the last week flip-flopping between the two teams about "once every to minutes."

Kuroda on the Yankees:

Not everyone has the opportunity to put on the pinstripe uniform.  They are a team with tradition and they are looking to win a World Series Championship.  And that team looked to me for help.  I choked up a little when I got the offer.  I felt that if I did not take this chance, I would come to regret it ten, twenty years down the line.

The no trade clause also apparently helped.  He also gets the same number he wore with the Los Angeles Dodgers (18).

===

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that the New York Mets are looking into a number of left-handed hitting OF, including Kosuke Fukudome.

It seems Sponichi has also taken that tweet and turned it into a possible interest in Hideki Matsui, even though his name was never mentioned.

MLB.com's Greg Johns reports that Eric Wedge is thinking about "non-leadoff options" for Ichiro Suzuki.  A snip:

Eric Wedge first brought up at the Winter Meetings in Dallas in early December the idea that Ichiro Suzuki might not be his leadoff hitter any longer, and the Mariners manager said Thursday he's now "further down the road in leaning that direction to have Ichi hit somewhere else."

Speaking at the Mariners pre-Spring Training media luncheon, Wedge expanded on his thoughts, saying Ichiro could bat second or third if he's not leading off. And he mentioned Dustin Ackley, Chone Figgins and perhaps a healthier Franklin Gutierrez as candidates to fill the leadoff role.

===

The New York Yankees finalized their deal with Hiroki Kuroda.  He gets a one-year deal worth US$10M and can earn up to an additional US$1M in performance bonuses ($200,000 each for 160, 170, 180, 190, and 200 innings).

===

When reporters asked Hideki Matsui to comment on the possibility of signing with a National League team, he replied, "I think I will ok.  Although I really do not know how things will go until I try."

On Thursday, Matsui took 116 swings, from both side of the plate, during soft toss BP.

===

Koji Uehara posted an update on his blog about his workouts (long throws at about 90 meters on Wednesday and about five minutes of pitching, on flat ground, on Thursday) and his concerns about where he might be playing next year (he feels anxious).

===

Daisuke Matsuzaka threw 21 pitches (all fastballs) on flat ground on Wednesday.

According to Nikkan Sports, Hiroki Kuroda turned down a two-year deal worth an estimated US$22M from the New York Yankees and instead opted for a one-year deal worth an estimated US$16M.

===

Via Nikkan Sports, the Milwaukee Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt provides the following update on Norichika Aoki:

The Milwaukee Brewers have exchanged contract proposals with Japanese outfielder Norichika Aoki, but general manager Doug Melvin said Saturday it was too early to tell if a deal could be worked out before the Tuesday deadline.

"We've made an offer to him and he gave us a proposal back," said Melvin, who has been negotiating with Nez Balelo, the agent for Aoki.

"That's where it's at. We're evaluating it. We're going to look at this vs. the other options out there with outfielders. We're still negotiating and exploring other options."

===

Eric Wedge told reporters on Sunday that there was a chance Hisashi Iwakuma might pitch during one of their two opening day games against the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome in March (3/28 and 3/29).  When asked about Munenori Kawasaki, he said he wanted a chance to see him during Spring Training before making any decisions.

Wedge, Ken Griffey Jr and Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin attended a press conference for Opening Series Japan 2012 at Tokyo Dome today.

===

Sponichi notes that Don Nomura may have left for the US on Sunday and could be headed to Texas on Monday with Arn Tellem.  A separate Sponichi report also notes that the Texas Rangers will not be able to match everything Yu Darvish is asking for and that ultimately, it will come down to how much he wants to play in the US.

===

Deadlines:

Norichika Aoki - 1/17 at 5pm EST (1/18 at 7am JST)

Yu Darvish - 1/18 at 5pm EST (1/19 at 7am JST)

Koji Uehara held a baseball clinic for youth baseball players in Neyagawa, Osaka today.

===

Via Sponichi: CBS New York's Sean Hartnett briefly mentions that the New York Yankees still need a left-handed bat and could turn to Hideki Matsui.  Sponichi also mentions the following quote made by an unnamed Baltimore Orioles' rep: "There is probably more interest in Matsui with Luke Scott signing with the Tampa Bay Rays.  The 27 games Matsui played in the outfield last year is definitely a good thing."

On Friday, Matsui worked out for about an hour and a half in Tokyo.  His workouts included playing catch and taking BP.  It was Matsui's seventh straight day of workouts.

===

Hiroki Kuroda apparently picked the New York Yankees because he felt they were the closest to winning a championship (out of the group that made offers to him).

Nikkan Sports is also reporting that while the US media is saying Kuroda's deal was US10M, the offer may have actually been US16M.

===

Via Sponichi: The Cincinnati Reds are looking for a left fielder and MLB.com's Mark Sheldon mentions Kosuke Fukudome as an option:

Kosuke Fukudome brings a left-handed bat to the table and the ability to play all three outfield spots. Fukudome, who turns 35 in April, has been a .260 hitter with a .361 on-base percentage in four Major League seasons since moving from Japan, but he isn't as much of a home run threat.

===

The Seattle Mariners x Yomiuri Giants Baseball Clinicht took place at Giants Stadium in Kawasaki today.  Ken Griffey Jr and Eric Wedge were guest instructors.  About 100 boys and girls from youth baseball teams in Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Iwaki, Fukushima attended the clinic.

===

Deadlines:

Norichika Aoki - 1/17 at 5pm EST (1/18 at 7am JST)

Yu Darvish - 1/18 at 5pm EST (1/19 at 7am JST)

The New York Yankees have signed Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year deal worth US$11M (around 850M yen).

Nikkan Sports first reported on the possibility of Kuroda signing with the Yankees a few days ago.

Hideki Matsui played catch on Tuesday for the first time in about three months and felt no pain.  His trainer also told reporters that Matsui is running light on his feet and that he should be fine on defense.

===

Via Nikkan Sports: ESPN's Ramona Shelburne provides the following update on Hiroki Kuroda:

Colletti offered a clue to how the team is approaching this season by noting that he had been talking to free-agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda's agents up until a few days ago about "other ways to figure this out" because "we used the money we would've had for him and had to spread it out some."

Colletti wouldn't specify what options were discussed. But the only options that would've worked under those parameters essentially would be a back-loaded, two-year deal, or something that wouldn't have impacted the team's Opening Day payroll so deeply.

"We've stayed in it, but I think at this point in time we've probably exhausted the different choices," Colletti said. "I think he's going to end with an American League club, from what I can gather.

"He pitched well here. He was competitive, good to have on the club, competitive. As you look back on the four years, some of the bigger games we had here he ended up pitching pretty well. We'll miss him. He adjusted well to America and from all indications from him and his family, it was a good experience for him too."

===

Hisashi Iwakuma worked out in Sendai on Tuesday.  Iwakuma plans to head to the US some time this month (once he squares away his work visa).

===

The Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly has the following update on Wei-Ying Chen:

Here's Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette on various subjects:

On newly signed left-handed starter Wei-Yin Chen, who agreed to a three-year deal (with a 2015 club option) that will be worth roughly $11 million to $12 million: "He's got good stuff. He's got a good fastball and very good control and a good breaking ball. He's really a pretty polished pitcher. Chen has the physical capabilities to be a front-line starter. ...  I was glad to sign him, because I think he can help our team. I like his pitches. I like the structure of the contract. I hope it ends up being a good one. Could be a good one. He's only 26. He has the stuff, the pitches to be a good major league pitcher. There's only a few left-handers in the big leagues with his stuff."

On concerns that Chen's fastball velocity dropped into the 80s this year: "His velocity fluctuated some this year during the season, but I believe that was attributed to an oblique strain. At the end of the year, in the playoffs, his velocity was at 92, 94 [mph]. His velocity was down during a portion of the season, but it was back up at the end of the season."

The Associated Press also has a break of the deal:

Chen gets a $250,000 signing bonus and salaries of $3,072,000 this year, $3,572,000 in 2013 and $4,072,000 in 2014. The Orioles have a $4.75 million option for 2015 with a $372,000 buyout.

Nikkan Sports mentions that a press conference is scheduled to take place in Nagoya on 1/17.

Hideki Matsui told reporters on Monday that if his knees are ok, he would do a little more running than usual.  While Matsui was only able to run about once every four days after his knee surgeries in 2007 and 2008, he has managed to run every day during the workouts he started on 1/7 this year.

===

Nikkan Sports mentions that the New York Yankees may be close to a deal with Hiroki Kuroda: a one-year deal worth US$15.5M (around 1.2B yen) and the number 15.

Sponichi notes that the Kuroda wants to play for a winner and that he is probably looking for a deal in the US$13M range (around 1B yen).

===

Via Sponichi: ESPN SportsNation is running a poll asking fans which current players they think belong in the HoF.  Ichiro Suzuki is so far in fourth with 77.5% of votes.

The current top three: Derek Jeter (90.7%), Mariano Rivera (88.5%), and Albert Pujols (88.2%).

Hiroki Kuroda has reportedly (Sponichi, Daily Sports, Nikkan Sports) informed the Hiroshima Carp that he will not be returning to Japan this year and will continue his career in the US for at least one more year.

Sponichi reports that the Texas Rangers are interested in Hiroki Kuroda.  Sponichi speculates that they might be looking for a sixth starter in case Yu Darvish joins the team.

And Jon Heyman tweeted on Saturday that Kuroda will probably cost between US$13-14M.

hear asking price for kuroda is $13-14M salary. some teams not convinced he will play in the states. could go back to japan

===

Hideki Matsui told reporters on Saturday that he has started his workouts, that he has maintained his weight at about 100kg, and that his knees were feeling good.

===

Daisuke Matsuzaka played catch for the second day in a row on Friday -- he threw the ball about 30 times at a distance of around 18 meters.  He threw the last five pitches at around 130km/h.  If he continues to make good progress he could be cleared to toss a bullpen session around January 20th.  And if he does not suffer any setbacks, he might be able to make it back to the MLB roster in May, instead of the original June/July estimate.

===

Via Nikkan Sports: MLB.com's Adam McCalvy has posted the following update on Norichika Aoki:

Roenicke, bench coach Jerry Narron and hitting coach Johnny Narron will attend the one-day affair with Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, director of pro scouting Zack Minasian and his predecessor, Dick Groch, now a special assistant to Melvin. So will two Brewers officials who spend most of their time at Maryvale: special assistant and player development director Reid Nichols and his top assistant, Tony Diggs.

They will watch Aoki take batting practice off the coaches, they will hit him fly balls and gauge his throwing arm and they will time his running speed.

Nikkan Sports notes the workout is scheduled to take place Maryvale Baseball Park on Sunday (US time).

===

Sponichi brings up Scott Boras' idea (here, here, and here) for a new type of system to replace the current posting system (taken from a NY Times article posted in December):

Boras suggested a sliding scale whereby Japanese players can negotiate with any team and their Japanese teams would receive a percentage of the contract. For instance, if a player leaves after one year, the Japanese team would get 80 percent of the contract, 50 percent after five years and 20 percent with just one year remaining before free agency.

"A lot of Japanese players aren't successful here because they aren't comfortable in their situation," Boras said. "If they could choose where they want to play, their success rate would definitely increase."

The Japan Professional Baseball Players Association is continuing to brainstorm other ideas to replace the current posting system, like the one where the top three bidders get a chance to negotiate.  Don Nomura has also suggested imposing fines on teams that win bids but do not sign players to contracts (for example, 20% of the posting fee).