ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the New York Yankees are looking at Raul Ibanez, Johnny Damon, and Hideki Matsui and that one "could be on the team within a week."  And according to a tweet by FoxSports' Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees are currently in "serious discussions" with Ibanez.

Matsui's workouts on Monday lasted about an hour and a half and included long distance throwing and sprints.  He said to reporters, "The only thing I have left to do is run at full speed and to do my [on field] workouts wearing cleats.  I should be ok [if I have to go to Spring Training right away]."

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FoxSports' Ken Rosenthal tweets the following update on Koji Uehara:

Sources: #Athletics among teams pursuing #Rangers' Uehara. #Orioles remain interested. #MLB

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Sponichi reports that Yu Darvish could still be eligible for the Rookie of the Year Award based on quotes from Newsdays' Ken Davidoff and the Seattle Times' Larry Stone.

Darvish fans in Japan can now also order his official uniform from Majestic Japan.

Daisuke Matsuzaka tossed his second bullpen session on February 3 (February 4 in Japan) -- twenty pitches to a catcher that squatted in front of the home plate.

"While I threw at about 70% last time, this time I tried to throw as hard as I could.  I am glad that I was able to throw at close to 90%," said Matsuzaka.  "A part of me is still holding back.  I want to continue examining my mechanics moving forward."

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Via Sponichi: Koji Uehara posted a blog update informing fans that he tossed around 40 pitches (fastballs) in his first bullpen session of the year.

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Tsuyoshi Wada left for Hawaii out of Haneda Airport on Sunday.  Wada plans to spend a week working out in Hawaii before heading to Baltimore to find a place to live.  He will then head down to Sarasota, Florida sometime around February 15 to prepare for the start of Spring Training.

Wada is currently at about 60-70% and is hoping to toss a bullpen session during his workouts in Hawaii (he has not yet tossed a session this year).

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Hiroki Sanada left for the US out of Narita Airport on Saturday.  He is scheduled to meet up with Hisanori Takahashi in Los Angeles and will attend tryouts over a three day period beginning on February 10.  Sanada has tossed four bullpen sessions in Japan, since his return from Hawaii on January 26.

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Hisashi Iwakuma, Wei-Ying Chen, and Norichika Aoki made it into USA Today's Countdown of the 100 Names You Need to Know: Nos. 41-60.  A snip:

50. RHP Hisashi Iwakuma, Mariners, 30: He couldn't reach a contract last year after Oakland won posting rights and this year he arrives as a free agent. In the meantime, he dealt with some shoulder issues that reduced his fastball to the 90 mph range. But he uses the fastball to make an exceptional forkball more effective. He should be a solid ground-ball pitcher in a ballpark that will be forgiving if and when major league hitters zone in on the fastball.

53. OF Norichika Aoki, Brewers, 30: Signing a two-year contract all but ensures the three-time batting champion in Japan is at least Milwaukee's fourth outfielder. And he would get a quick and extended opportunity to increase his role if Ryan Braun is suspended at the start of the season. Aoki is a strong defender and had an on-base percentage over .400 four of the past five seasons. He's a line-drive hitter but less of a slashing swinger than Ichiro Suzuki.

55. LHP Wei-Yin Chen, Orioles, 26: He's younger and throws harder (92-94 mph) than most pitchers coming out of the Japanese leagues. Plus, he has a sharp slider that should be effective. After Jeremy Guthrie, the Baltimore rotation is wide open. Chen and Tsuyoshi Wada should have an edge over the Orioles' collection of promising young pitchers, most of whom struggled last year.

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The Texas Rangers' tweeted that Yu Darvish merchandise is now available:

Darvish gear is here! Get it b4 the 1st shipment is gone. Rangers Team Shop Locations: http://atmlb.com/oawrO0 Or Online: http://atmlb.com/zcWfQ2

Daisuke Matsuzaka played catch at a max distance of about 30 meters on Monday.  He then tossed his first bullpen session since 5/16/2011 -- 11 pitches to a standing catcher, 10 pitches to a squatting catcher with a little something extra on the last two pitches he threw.  Assuming no problems on Tuesday, Matsuzaka could do long distance throwing on Wednesday and another bullpen session on Thursday.

Matsuzaka also visited Yoshihiro Doi (signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles) in Ft. Lauderdale and spent about two hours with him.

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Koji Uehara is planning to return to the US in early February.  On Monday, he played catch at a distance of about 60 meters.

"I am more or less ready to go," said Uehara.  "I plan to toss two to three bullpen sessions before heading to America."

When asked about the trade rumors, he replied, "If it is going to happen, I hope it happens quickly."

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Via Sponichi, The Daily News' Andy Martino reports that the New York Mets are interested in Kosuke Fukudome.  A snip:

... According to two team insiders, the club is looking for a veteran lefthanded bat for the bench, and is shopping in the aisle that includes Rick Ankiel, Kosuke Fukudome, Raul Ibanez and Johnny Damon.

The latter two, while bigger names, appear less of a fit, because of a presumed desire for more at-bats and less defensive versatility. But Ankiel or Fukudome could provide Terry Collins with a lefty pinch-hitter, occasional platoon partner for Jason Bay and insurance against an injury to, or disappointing performance from, Bay, Lucas Duda or Andres Torres.

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Sponichi reports that KOMO News incorrectly pronounced Hisashi Iwakuma's name HIGH-SA-SHI, instead of HE-SA-SHI, during a recent news broadcast.

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Yu Darvish made Dayn Perry's "What you should watch for in 2012" list.

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Former Seibu Lion Tetsuya Iwasaki (29) left for the US on Monday to participate in the Arizona Winter League.  Iwasaki wants a chance to pitch in the Majors and is willing to sign a minor league deal.

The Seattle Mariners held a press conference at Safeco Field on Sunday to introduce Hisashi Iwakuma to the media.  He also participated in FanFest after the press conference.

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The Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly figures Koji Uehara will be traded.  A snip:

I've been told the Orioles have had sporadic conversations with the Rangers in bringing back Uehara, and it's something they still maintain interest in. But they'd have to find a trade match. And Texas GM Jon Daniels isn't expected to give away Uehara, especially to the team that wrangled two solid young players out of him for Uehara a few months ago.

Even at a $4 million price tag, Uehara, 36, has some trade value to other clubs who need back-end bullpen help. I think the safe money is that he ends up elsewhere, but after seeing him break into tears when he was traded in July, it's obvious where he'd most like to be.

And FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the "Orioles are pursuing Rangers' Uehara..."

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Via Nikkan Sports, the Associate Press has the following update on Tsuyoshi Nishioka:

Gardenhire also left no doubt that Jamey Carroll would start at SS with Alexi Casilla at 2B. Both of them and Tsuyoshi Nishioka can play each spot. The Twins haven't given up on Nishioka, but he's not guaranteed a place on the team. Gardenhire said he hopes Nishioka, who struggled with offense, defense and health in his first major league season, comes to spring training "with a better idea of what we do and how we do things."

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A number of reports mention a Dallas Morning News article by Gerry Fraley that discusses things four things Yu Darvish will need to overcome in order to find success in the Majors.  Things like playing outdoors in the heat (42 games at 35+ degrees Celsius), pitching on four days of rest, and long travel distances.

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Via Sponichi, ESPN's fan poll on whether or not Ichiro Suzuki is a Hall of Famer: 83% yes, 17% no.

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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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).

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

FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal posted notes on a couple of Japanese players:

Remember Kosuke Fukudome? [...] Fukudome, who had a combined .712 OPS last season for the Cubs and Indians, wants to remain in the majors, according to a source with knowledge of his thinking. Some executives, however, believe he may end up back in Japan.

Speaking of Japanese players, Rangers right-hander Koji Uehara had such a positive experience in Baltimore, he recommended the Orioles to the two free-agent lefties the team signed out of the Japanese league, Tsuyoshi Wada and Wei-Yin Chen, according to a major-league source. [...] A trade back to the Orioles is a possibility.

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Nippon Ham Fighters' team rep Toshimasa Shimada informed reporters that they received the posting fee (~US$51.7M, ~4B yen) for Yu Darvish from the Texas Rangers today.

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Former Yokohama Bay Star Hiroki Sanada is only thinking about playing in the US right now.

Via Nikkan Sports, the Dallas Morning News' Gerry Fraley mentions that the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays are interested in Koji Uehara.

ESPN's Richard Durrett adds that Uehara refused a trade to the Blue Jays (he has a limited six-team no-trade clause that includes Toronto).

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Daisuke Matsuzaka played catch on flat ground on Monday and threw the ball about 20 times with his throwing partner squatting.  This was the fourth time he had his partner squat during a game of catch since his surgery.  He is still scheduled to a toss a bullpen session some time before the end of the month.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

Hideki Matsui added soft toss BP to his workouts on Wednesday.  On Thursday, he started taking fielding practice -- while standing near the third base bag, he took 42 grounders and "committed two errors".  During BP, he saw a total 93 pitches from both sides of the plate.  And when asked if was worried about his contract status, he replied, "I do not check the headlines.  I am not worried at this point."

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Ryota Igarashi is hoping that the two things he worked on this winter (polishing his two-seamer and slider while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic and strengthening his upper body) help him make it to the Majors.

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Koji Uehara and Yoshinori Tateyama participated in a talk session with Daisuke Ohata (retired rugby player) in Tokyo on Thursday.  The three were in the same class when they attended Tokai Gyosei High School.

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The Nike SHA|DO line of baseball gear, used by Daisuke Matsuzaka, apparently went on sale Thursday.