According to Sponichi, the Orix Buffaloes are still very much interested in Kei Igawa.

"If he decides to play in Japan, we will do our best to make sure he joins our team," said team rep Yoshio Murayama.  "I think he knows we are interested.  If he is also interested, we will present him with a solid offer."

Both the Rakuten Eagles and Hanshin Tigers avoided making any binding comments.

A number of additional quotes from Igawa have also surfaced:

I have not received any specific offers.  It is a good thing to be wanted, but I have not been able to show [people in American] how much I have grown the last five years so returning to Japan [right now] might be a little difficult [for me].  Daily Sports

As long as they give me a shot [at pitching in the Majors].  It does not have to be as a starter. ... Even if I hold teams to zero during exhibition games, I probably will not make the opening day Major League roster.  But it is a good opportunity to pitch well in front of the coaches.  That is important. ... Even with a start in the minors, there will be chances when players start getting injured in April, May.  Nikkan Sports

Starting spring training in the minors leaves very little chance to make the Major League roster.  I will consider Japan If there are no opportunities for me to pitch at the Major League level.  Sponichi

UPDATE @ 1/21 - According to Nikkan Sports, the Buffaloes will leave one spot on the 70-man roster open for Igawa until the end of July.

Kei Igawa worked out at Hitachinaka Sports Park in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki today.  Igawa is currently working out with a return to the US in mind, although he has not received any official offers.

Said Igawa, "If I do not get any offers from the States, [returning to Japan] is a possibility since I do want to continue playing baseball."

The Orix Buffaloes, Rakuten Eagles, Softbank Hawks, and Nippon Ham Fighters have all been mentioned as teams that could be interested in Igawa.

With Yu Darvish now officially a member of the Texas Rangers, the Nippon Ham Fighters have begun looking into possible replacements.

Daily Sports reports that they have their eyes on both Kei Igawa (32) and Kenshin Kawakami (36).  They also note the Fighters will be looking into other options as well, like other foreign players and trades (relying on their farm system/youth is another).  Sanspo also drops Kawakami's name.

Hideki Matsui visited his alma mater Seiryo High School on Wednesday.

Matsui is also not thinking about a return to Japan this year.  When asked about 2013, he said he was only thinking about 2012 right now.

His old high school coach, Tomoshige Yamashita, told reporters on Wednesday that he felt Matsui could play at least another three years in the Majors.

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FoxSports' Ken Rosenthal posted the following update on Hiroki Kuroda:

Multiple executives say they were told by the agent for Hiroki Kuroda that the free-agent right-hander will get between $11 million and $13 million per year. A source close to Kuroda says no such claim was made.

Kuroda, who turns 37 on Feb. 10, may have received an offer at that level from a Japanese club or a major-league team that does not interest him. His representative continues to circle back to other major-league teams, sources say.

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Sponichi is reporting that the Rakuten Eagles will be going after Kei Igawa.  Sponichi also notes that Igawa has been working out in Los Angeles since November -- trunk strengthening exercises during the day and long distance throwing in the afternoon.

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Nikkan Sports reports that Norichika Aoki will head to the US today (1/5) and will begin his workouts with the Milwaukee Brewers on 1/8.

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FoxSports' Ken Rosenthal tweets that it seems unlikely that the New York Yankees and Hiroyuki Nakajima will be able to complete a deal by Friday @ 5pm EST.

The YES Networks' Jack Curry notes that unless Nakajima is willing to accept a one-year deal, it is not likely that he will be playing for the Yanks this year.

And CBS Sports' Jon Heyman mentions that Nakajima is seeking a multi-year deal worth a couple million a year.

Daily Sports is reporting that the Seattle Mariners are looking into Hisashi Iwakuma.

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Sponichi reports that Hiroki Kuroda wants to take as much time as he can to decide on where he will be playing next.  They also mention that people close to Kuroda are saying he will either sign with a team he thinks has a serious shot at making it to the World Series, or Hiroshima.

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Kei Igawa returned to Japan on Thursday.

According to Nikkan Sports, the Chunichi Dragons are apparently willing to wait on Wei-Ying Chen for as long as necessary.

"We have not given [Chen] any deadlines," said chief of team development, Takashi Ide.  "We plan on contacting his agent once before the end of the year."

Nikkan Sports also mentions the Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Washington Nationals as teams interested in Chen.

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Sanspo mentions that the Orix Buffaloes are prepared to give Kei Igawa the number 29.  It is the same number he wore when he played for the Hanshin Tigers and New York Yankees.

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The media has started murmuring about when Masahiro Tanaka will decide he wants to play in the Majors.  News reports this morning say that he mentioned nothing about wanting to play in the Majors during salary negotiations on Monday.  However, when reporters asked Rakuten Eagles team rep Jun Yoneda what would happen if Tanaka wanted to head to the Majors either via posting or through FA, he replied, "This would be assuming [Tanaka] asked, but that is a player right.  But this is not just about Tanaka, this is about all our core players."

In November, Tanaka told Sanspo that making it to the Majors was not his primary goal for playing baseball.

UPDATE 12/28 @ 12:10pm - It appears Sanspo (where the quote was taken from) is getting a little heat from Yoneda because they took some things he said and made it sound as if he was ok about Tanaka heading to the Majors (assuming that was what he wanted).  Yoneda clarified that he never said he was ok with it and that Tanaka was a very important player to the team.

Sports Hochi is reporting that the Softbank Hawks are interested in Kei Igawa.  Igawa is still hoping to continue his playing career in the US and is also being monitored by the Rakuten Eagles and Orix Buffaloes.

Sports Hochi reports that the Orix Buffaloes are working on a 1-year deal with 31-year-old Cha-Seung Baek and that a formal deal could be signed within the next few days.  The agreement will also probably contain a club option for a second year.

The Buffaloes are also:

• thinking about offering Kei Igawa a multi-year deal to entice him to sign.
• could go strong after 29-year-old INF Kenta Kurihara, if he decides to exercise his FA option.
• and are interested in signing 29-year-old INF Dae-Ho Lee, so much so that they're also thinking about having Akinobu Okada meet Lee in person during negotiations.

Sanspo is reporting that the Rakuten Eagles may also be interested in 32-year-old Kei Igawa, should he decide to return to Japan next year.

"Igawa?  We've been looking into him for a while," said Senichi Hoshino.  "He can probably throw close to 200 innings a year.  There's a chance he could return to Japan to reporters."

Hoshino then added, "Igawa won't make any moves [back to Japan until at least] March.  I'm sure there's a chance he could get an invite [to spring training by an MLB team] as well.  He'll be in the US [until he's exhausted his options]."

Regarding the Hanshin Tigers' and Orix Buffaloes' interest in the lefty, Hoshino said, "Well, I'm sure he won't go to those two teams."

According to Daily Sports (and Nikkan Sports), the Orix Buffaloes are interested in Kei Igawa.

Said Akinobu Okada, "I'd love for him to come here and help Orix win a championship.  I think he can still be an ace.  I'd have high expectations for him.  Since his days with the Hanshin, he's had a strong body and only thought about baseball.  He can only bring positives to the team. ... He can pitch all he wants on the Orix mound.  And if there's a chance for me to talk to him, I will."

Igawa has mentioned that he'd like to continue playing in the US, but the Daily Sports report mentions that his family wants him to settle down and it's highly unlikely that he'll continue his attempt overseas if he can't find a team to play for, which could in turn force him back to Japan.

UPDATE @ 2:45pm - Nikkan Sports mentions the Hanshin Tigers as being interested in Igawa as well.