The New Times' David Waldstein has written an article on Hiroki Kuroda entitled "A Japanese Pitcher Without the Mystery."  A snip:

For weeks before the deal, Cashman, when asked about another Japanese pitcher, Yu Darvish, emphasized his concern that players from other countries always brought a level of mystery about whether they could succeed in the United States. Cashman knew this as well as anyone, for misjudgments on this issue had cost the Yankees far more than other teams.

The Yankees had enjoyed great success with one Japanese star, outfielder Hideki Matsui, but their history with pitchers from Japan was not a happy one. The temperamental Hideki Irabu pitched for the Yankees from 1997 to 1999, went 29-20 with a 4.80 earned run average and pitched once in the postseason, in relief. The hype that greeted him ended up being far out of proportion to his production in the major leagues.

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Munenori Kawasaki arrived in Seattle on February 8 (February 9 Japan time).  He will head to Arizona on February 11.

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Tsuyoshi Nishioka left for US today.  He will touchdown in New York and then head straight Florida from there.

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Via Nikkan Sports:

Yu Darvish makes USA Today's "Countdown of the 100 Names you Need to Know: Nos 1-10."

1. RHP Yu Darvish, Rangers, 25: If Darvish is truly ready to embrace the rock-star image he could project on a championship-caliber team, there's no telling how good he could be. Making the cultural adjustment seems to be all that's standing in the way of him being a top-of-the-rotation impact pitcher. Those who've been around him say Darvish has the personality to handle it.

Tsuyoshi Wada, Hisashi Iwakuma, Norchika Aoki, and Wei-Ying Chen also made the list (Nos 21-40 and Nos 41-60).

28. LHP Tsuyoshi Wada, Orioles, 30: Wada's career ERA in Japan was 3.37 before last season, when the leagues switched to a new ball and scoring dropped dramatically. Still, his walk-strikeout ratios always have been solid, and he has a reputation in his homeland as one of the smarter pitchers. He doesn't get to 90 mph and works on the edges of the strike zone, so his margin for error at Camden Yards will be thin.

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 Dallas Morning News is carrying an article about Curt Schilling's thoughts on Darvish.  A snip:

Since he has pitched with Byung-Hyun Kim and Daisuke Matsuzaka during his 20 MLB seasons, Curt Schilling says he knows a little something about how Yu Darvish could fare with the Rangers.

...

And after hearing the lofty expectations before Matsuzaka arrived in Boston, Schilling advises to be cautiously optimistic when it comes to Darvish. Matsuzaka was advertised to throw up to 98 miles per hour and possess six pitches, however, Schilling revealed that Matsuzaka's speed was between 92-94 mph and he only had "two and a half legitimate big league pitches."

You can read a little more over here as well.

Hideki Matsui and Koksuke Fukudome make Jon Heyman's top 20 remaining free agents list.  Snips from the article:

7. Hideki Matsui, DH-OF. His .252 batting average from a year ago hurts him, but Oakland is a death trap for hitters. Wouldn't bet against this guy.

15. Kosuke Fukudome, OF. Speaking of being a disappointing Cub, Fukudome wasn't looked upon kindly as an overpaid North Sider. But as an outfield extra who plays defense and gets on base (.361 career OBP), he'd be a solid pickup.

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Matsui took 123 swings during soft toss BP on Wednesday.  He also started wearing batting gloves during BP for the first time this month.

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Tsuyoshi Wada will finish out his off-season workouts in Hawaii (he is scheduled to leave Japan later this week).

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Hisanori Takahashi is currently working out in Los Angeles.

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Ryota Igarashi tossed 52 pitches (mostly two-seamers and sliders) during his first bullpen session of the year.  He plans to toss five more sessions before the start of Spring Training.

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Tsuyoshi Nishioka is in the middle of divorce talks Naoko Tokuzawa.  Her inability to support Nishioka in the US and reports of an affair by Nishioka (which he has denied) are mentioned as reasons.  They are currently living apart from each other.

Nishioka is planning to head to the US on February 10.

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.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka made an appearance at an adidas press conference on Thursday and said that he would be willing to play the outfield (or any other position) if it meant more playing time, especially with the addition of Jamey Carroll.

"The fact that [Carroll] will be making about the same as me means the team probably wants him to play about as much as they want me to play.  The bottom line is whether or not I can win the starting job," said Nishioka.

He also said that he was feeling great physically.

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Sponichi is reporting that Ryota Igarashi's split contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates could end up being worth more than the two-year deal he signed with the New York Mets, assuming everything on the contract is maxed out.

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The Seattle Times' Larry Stone is reporting that the Seattle Mariners are expected to sign Munenori Kawasaki.  A snip:

But Kawasaki could be a useful player for the Mariners, most likely in a utility role. He and his wife are in Seattle this week, and sources say he will sign a minor-league contract with a spring-training invitation. The signing might not be announced until after the holidays.

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Hisashi Iwakuma left for Los Angeles on Thursday.  Before leaving he said to reporters, "Things are moving on [Yu Darvish] so teams will probably begin moving on other pitchers.  I want to be able to talk to my agent if/when contract talks move into the final stages and it will be easier to get updates if I am in the US."

Sponichi notes the Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics as teams with interest in Iwakuma.  Regarding this, Iwakuma said, "It would be nice if things were decided before the end of the year, but I will consider whatever offers are made.  It is also possible that other teams that were not interested will get involved as well.  I am a worried/nervous but also excited like on draft day."

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Via Nikkan Sports - Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that Hiroyuki Nakajima could be signed and traded to another team.  A snip:

The Yankees could work a sign-and-trade involving Nakajima — an idea that the player’s U.S. agent, Greg Genske, has broached with the club, major-league sources say.

...

Nakajima, 29, is open to all possibilities, sources said. While he wants to play every day, he also is intrigued by the idea of playing for the Yankees, even in a backup role.

Daisuke Matsuzaka played at catch at a distance of 27 meters on the 18th (threw the ball 50 times).  He also closed out his practices at Fort Myers and will now head to Boston in order to continue his training.  The hope right now is that he'll be ready to start tossing bullpen sessions in January.

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Hisashi Iwakuma returned to Sendai on Friday from Arizona and told reporters that he learned some new training methods and felt that it was a worthwhile trip.  He also spoke to his agent and was informed that the market was moving slowly.  Regarding his visit to Chase Field, Iwakuma said that he was impressed by the atmosphere.

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Joe Nathan thinks it's too early to give up on Tsuyoshi Nishioka.  A snip, from a Pioneer Press article (via Nikkan Sports):

Free-agent closer Joe Nathan, still undecided about whether he'll play in Minnesota or elsewhere next year, isn't ready to give up on Nishioka.

"I don't want to jump the gun on Nishi because I still think that's a huge adjustment for him," Nathan said.

...

"He's got to get settled in in this country before you can pass judgment on a guy," Nathan said. "Let him get his feet wet a little bit. Let him sink in and get used to being over here."

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A couple of Yu Darvish - New York Yankee related articles (via Sponichi).

From the Daily News' Mark Feinsand:

Hal Steinbrenner said Wednesday that the Igawa disaster wouldn't stop the Yankees from signing another Japanese pitcher if that's the move they believe makes the most sense.

"Every person is different; every player is different," Steinbrenner said. "We're going to look at every single one. We're going to look at every single option, and we’re going to analyze it. It will be a go or no-go, but we look at each person as an individual."

...

Darvish, a 25-year-old considered to be one of the best pitchers available on the free-agent market this winter, will likely command a financial commitment similar to the one the Red Sox made to Matsuzaka, a significant risk to any team that takes that gamble.

From Newsdays' Ken Davidoff:

Yankees scouts generally like Darvish from what they've seen of him, but there is internal skepticism concerning Steinbrenner's willingness to try another significant Japanese investment.

Steinbrenner insisted that wasn't the case, yet he conceded that assessing an international player was trickier than pursuing a major-league free agent such as Rangers lefthander C.J. Wilson.

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Former Lotte manager Bobby Valentine is a candidate to become the next manager of the Boston Red Sox.  The NY Times' Tyler Kepner mentions why it might make sense in his blog post, The Red Sox and Bobby Valentine: A Better Fit Than We Think?

Daily Sports reports that the Seattle Mariners are looking at Hisashi Iwakuma and Tsuyoshi Wada as potential 5th starters.

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Hiroki Kuroda remains a top priority for the LA Dodgers.  Via MLB.com:

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti met Wednesday with the agent for pitcher Aaron Harang, one of the free agents the Dodgers are considering as a replacement in the rotation for Hiroki Kuroda.

Having already acknowledged that his 2012 payroll will be reduced from the $110 million of 2011 (perhaps down to $90 million), Colletti said that Kuroda remains a top priority, but the decision isn't the pitcher's alone.

"It's half and half. It's not only him, it's us," Colletti said, making a vague reference to his ability to fit Kuroda's $12 million salary into a reduced budget.

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Nikkan Sports mentions that Bob Melvin is preparing for the possibility that he might lose Hideki Matsui.  Via MLB.com:

"The outfield is obviously an issue because of the fact that all our guys are potentially going away, including [Hideki] Matsui," manager Bob Melvin said this week. "That's an area we're going to have to take a hard look at. We'll see what we have internally and then look at possible other options."

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According to Nikkan Sports, Doug Melvin told reporters that he plans on reaching out to Takashi Saito's agent sometime after 11/21 and offering him an incentive-laden deal, similar to the one he had this past season.

Sponichi also mentions that there's an ESPN article says 5 or more teams (Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, LA Angels, and LA Dodgers) could be interested in Saito.

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The latest on Tsuyoshi Nishioka, from The Pioneer Press' John Shipley:

Though Nishioka started the season at second base - he broke his leg getting taken out by the Yankees' Nick Swisher on an attempted double play - he apparently won't get another shot there in 2012. Though Ryan reiterated Wednesday the Twins are giving Nishioka a "clean slate," the GM indicated that it's shortstop or bust for the Twins' first Japanese-born player.

Asked whether Nishioka would be in the mix at second, Ryan said Alexi Casilla will be the heir apparent there, adding, "We're going to bring (Nishioka) in as a shortstop, and may the best man win."

MLB.com reports (via Sponichi) that the Texas Rangers are interested in Takashi Saito.

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New Minnesota Twins GM Terry Ryan on Tsuyoshi Nishioka (source FS North, via Sponichi):

I think we need to create competition at that position. We struggled there mightily. I don't think really right now you could anoint anybody out there from what we've seen. We need to create chances, choices, opportunities. There should be some people there that we should have the ability to pick from. I'm going to give Nishioka a mulligan here. The transition from Japan to the U.S. is huge, No. 1. Two, he was hurt. Language there's all kinds of things. The pace of the game over here, the size of the ballparks, the way we play compared to what goes on in the Japanese leagues. It's different. So with all that being included here into his equation, hopefully the second time will be certainly more productive and healthy than the first.

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Hisashi Iwakuma opened his training up to the media on Wednesday.  Iwakuma is currently in Tempe, Arizona preparing for the 2012 season.

Said Iwakuma, "I'm able to do things with a fresh look on things.  I just want to make sure I'm fully prepared. ... I'm waiting to hear good news.  The best would be for things to get decided early so that I can get into that mindset."

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Cal Ripken, Brady Anderson, and Sachio Kinugasa took part in the baseball clinic that was held at Komazawa Gakuen Girls' Junior / Senior High School on Wednesday.  Ripken is also scheduled to appear at baseball clinics in Ofunato, Iwate (11/10), Nishinomiya, Hyogo (11/12), and Kyoto (11/13)

Games from the 29th:

Oakland A's 2 - Seattle Mariners 0
Ichiro Suzuki started in right and batted first.  He went 0-for-3: fly out to center, walk, fly out to left, strikeout swinging.  Ichiro finished the season with 184 hits.

Hideki Matsui entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the top of the 6th and remained in the game as the DH.  He went 0-for-2: fly out to center, GIDP.

Detroit Tigers 5 - Cleveland Indians 4
Kosuke Fukudome started in right and batted first.  He went 0-for-3: strikeout looking, strikeout (foul tip), fly out to left, HBP.  Fukudome was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the top of the 9th.

Texas Rangers 3 - LA Angels 1
Koji Uehara entered the game in the bottom of the 7th, with the game tied at 1, and tossed a shutout inning in relief.  Final line: 1 IP, 4 BF, 23-16 NP-S, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR.

Hisanori Takahashi entered the game in the top of the 8th (run on first, no out, game tied at 1) and got out of the inning without allowing a run to score.  Final line: 1 IP, 4 BF, 14-7 NP-S, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR.

Milwaukee Brewers 7 - Pittsburgh Pirates 3
Takashi Saito entered the game in the top of the 7th, with the Brewers up 7-2, and retired the side in order.  Final line: 1 IP, 3 BF, 19-12 NP-S, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR.

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The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser notes that there's a good chance Hideki Matsui will return to the A's next season.  A snip from one of her articles:

I just spoke to team president Mike Crowley, who wouldn’t come out and say the A's are re-signing Matsui – the team wouldn’t do that until it's all official – but he did say, stating the obvious and somewhat tongue-in-cheek, "Certainly Major League Baseball would be very happy if we brought him back. Ichiro and Matsui in Japan would be a good thing for everyone."

If it happens, here's the thinking: He's not going to be very expensive ($2 million or thereabouts), it would be a one-year deal, and given the price tag, should Matsui dramatically underperform again in the first half, the team could let him go without taking an enormous hit.

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Hiroki Kuroda looks back on his season and beyond, from Nikkan Sports:

I did reach one of my goals (200 innings) and I did it by doing my best each and every game. ... Anything is a possibility right now and there's nothing I can say [about what I'll do for next season].  I need some time to think.

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Ryota Igarashi is open to playing in either the US or Japan.  Via Nikkan Sports:

I do have feelings of trying a little more in the Majors. ... But it might be difficult for me to get a contract for next season.  I'd like to consider my options and pick which is best for myself and for my family.  And Japan is included in that. ... I managed to learn things in the Majors and improve myself.

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Nikkan Sports posted the from an Ichiro Suzuki press conference:

It seems things didn't go quite as well as you could have wished this year...

I got to try a number of things this season.  I got to do a number of trial and error type things.  But because that went well in April, it made the second half more difficult for me.  That came out in May and June.

You must have heard a lot of background noise (or, the background noise must have gotten to you)...

Actually, I didn't really hear that much.  But in the second half, I started getting e-mails from people around me, like my friends.  Just the other day in Texas, [Koji] Uehara said to me, "It must be difficult with the racket."  From those kinds of interactions, I realized what the public sentiment was.  It's a completely different feeling for me and I found that to be amusing.

You said that you stopped paying attention to numbers last season...

Oddly, when people start talking about things you can't do, that's when you find yourself wanting to [prove them wrong].

Do you think expectations will change now that the streak is over?

I think it will make things easier.

Your thoughts on next year's opening series taking place in Japan...

The current season just ended.  That's still far-off in the future, so I can't really comment.

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Nikkan Sports has the following quote from Tsuyoshi Nishioka on his first year in the Majors:

I couldn't accomplish any of my goals this season.  I was a frustrating year.  I had to face myself a lot in tough times.  I think this will turn out to be a good experience for me.  Next year will be a very important year.  I'll still be a challenger.  I'd like to continue making adjustments in my playing style so that I'm a better fit for baseball over here.

Games from the 24th:

Texas Rangers 7 - Seattle Mariners 3
Ichiro Suzuki started in right and batted first.  He went 0-for-4: ground out to second, GIDP, ground out to short, ground out to first.

Yoshinori Tateyama entered the game in the top of the 7th, with the Rangers up 7-3, and retired the side in order.  Final line: 1 IP, 3 BF, 12-8 NP-S, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR.

LA Angels 4 - Oakland A's 2
Hideki Matsui started in left and batted third.  He went 0-for-3: walk, ground out to first, ground out to second (force), ground out to third.  Matsui also committed a fielding error (1) in the bottom of the 1st, which ultimately led to the Angels scoring the first run of the game.  For Matsui, it was his first error this season (26th game).

Hisanori Takahashi entered the game in the top of the 7th (none on, 1 out, and the Angels up 4-1) and recorded the final 2 outs of the inning while allowing 1 hit.  Final line: 0.2 IP, 3 BF, 12-9 NP-S, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR.

Cleveland Indians 8 - Minnesota Twins 2 (Game 1 Doubleheader)
Kosuke Fukudome entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the 2nd (in center, batting 8th).  He went 1-for-4: strikeout swinging, ground out to the pitcher, RBI single to right (run scored), GIDP.

Cleveland Indians 7 - Minnesota Twins 6 (Game 2 Doubleheader)
Fukudome started in right and batted first.  He went 0-for-4: fly out to center, fly out to center, strikeout looking, strikeout swinging, walk.

New York Yankees 9 - Boston Red Sox 1
Junichi Tazawa entered the game in the bottom of the 6th, with the Red Sox down 8-0, and surrendered a homer to the first batter he faced (Jesus Montero) before retiring the next 5 batters in a row and leaving with 2 outs in the 7th.  Final line: 1.2 IP, 6 BF, 24-14 NP-S, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR.

Milwaukee Brewers 6 - Florida Marlins 4
Takashi Saito entered the game in the top of the 6th, with the Brewers down 4-3, and retired the side in order.  Final line: 1 IP, 3 BF, 14-7 NP-S, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR.

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Tsuyoshi Nishioka was placed on the disabled list on Saturday. Via MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger:

The club also announced Nishioka's season was over that same day, as he was shut down with a strained right oblique and was placed on the DL retroactive to Sept. 15. He finishes his first year in the Majors with a .226 batting average, no homers and 19 RBIs in 68 games.

Games from the 16th:

Seattle Mariners 4 - Texas Rangers 0
Ichiro Suzuki started in right and batted first.  He went 0-for-3: line out to center, line out to left, walk, ground out to first.  Ichiro now needs 30 hits in 12 games for 200.

Detroit Tigers 3 - Oakland A's 1
Hideki Matsui started in left and batted third.  He went 0-for-4: ground out to first, ground out to short, fly out to center, pop out to third.

Cleveland Indians 7 - Minnesota Twins 6
Kosuke Fukudome started in right and batted first.  He went 0-for-5: strikeout swinging, GIDP, ground out to second, ground out to third, ground out to first.

Los Angeles Dodgers 7 - Pittsburgh Pirates 2
Hiroki Kuroda started the game and gave up 2 runs (1 earned) over 6 innings for his 12th victory of the year.  Kuroda is now 12-16.  Final line: 6 IP, 24 BF, 95-57 NP-S, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB,  7 SO, 1 HR.

New York Mets 12 - Atlanta Braves 2
Ryota Igarashi entered the game in the bottom of the 9th, with the Mets up 12-2, and retired the side in order.  Final line: 1 IP, 3 BF, 9-7 NP-S, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR.

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The Orix Group announced on Friday that they signed Ichiro Suzuki to an ad deal.  Ichiro appeared in commercials for Orix between 1992 and 2000, but not since he started playing in the Majors.  Ads with Ichiro will begin appearing on 10/1.

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The latest on Tsuyoshi Nishioka, via the Star Tribune's La Velle E. Neal III:

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire announced after Friday's game that infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka also has been shut down because of a nagging oblique strain.

...

Gardenhire revealed the Nishioka decision when asked by a Japanese reporter for an update.

"Nishi is not going to play for the rest of the year,'' Gardenhire said. "He's out. The trainers have shut him down. They are giving him treatment for his ribs, and he will not play for the rest of the year.''

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Billy Beane is apparently looking forward to the possibility of playing in Japan next season.

"I hope we can play in Japan next year," said Beane.  "[The released schedule] shouldn't be final yet.  There still a chance."

According to people close to the situation, the MLB is discussing the possibility of playing a series in Japan in late March with the Oakland A's and Seattle Mariners.