MLB.com's 2012 Fantasy Preview:

Ichiro Suzuki - 122nd overall / 35th as an outfielder

Yu Darvish - 150th overall / 39th as a starter

Hiroki Kuroda - 212th overall / 57th as a starter

Koji Uehara - 355th overall / 39th as a reliever

Kosuke Fukudome - 390th overall / 106th as an outfielder

Hideki Matsui - 400th overall / 108th as an outfielder

Wei-Ying Chen - 542nd overall / 162nd as a starter

Daisuke Matsuzaka - 555th overall / 226th as a starter

Takashi Saito - 673rd overall / 82nd as a reliever

Hisanori Takahashi - 685th overall / 87th as a reliever

Tsuyoshi Nishioka - 710th overall / 63rd as a shortstop

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Farsad Darvish is planning to sell Yu Darvish merchandise at his shop in Osaka (Darvish Gallery).

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.

There were rumors reported by gossip magazines that Yu Darvish (25) might be seeing Asuka Kirara (23), a Japanese AV idol (I won't provide any links since many can also lead to NSFW pages).  Those rumors were inflamed a bit yesterday during a sales event for a DVD when reporters asked Kirara if the reports were true and she replied, "I wonder."

The reply is open-ended and could be taken any number of ways, so it does nothing to confirm the rumors, but I still thought it might be worth mentioning since a lot of media sites have picked up on it.

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.

Via Nikkan Sports, the Dallas Morning News' Gerry Fraley provides the following update on Yu Darvish:

"We'll keep an eye on the volume of throwing," Maddux said.

The report on Darvish is he has "the ability to throw more pitches than the catcher has fingers," Maddux said. That fits the Japanese style of working the edges of a large strike zone and being comfortable going to full counts. Darvish had seven starts last season of 130-plus pitches.

With the Rangers, Maddux said, Darvish must determine which are his best three to four pitches, live and die with them and go for outs early in a count. High pitch counts will not work in the summer heat of Texas.

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Via Sponichi, Bloomberg included Darvish on their list of top five athletes to watch in 2012.

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ESPN's Richard Durrett discusses the PR/money-making opportunities that come with signing a playing like Darvish.

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.

According to Sponichi and Nikkan Sports, Boston Red Sox rehab coordinator Chip Simpson told reporters that Daisuke Matsuzaka could toss a bullpen session some time next week.  Matsuzaka is able to play catch on flat ground at a max distance of about 50 meters with his partner squatting.  When he tosses a bullpen session will likely be determined after he begins mixing in off-speed pitches.

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Hideki Matsui has yet to receive an official offer.  Based on current team needs, Sponichi notes that if the New York Yankees do not sign Matsui, he will likely end up having to play in the National League.

When asked by reporters what he would do if offered a minor league contract, Matsui replied, "I will think about that when I need to cross the bridge.  Right now, I have not thought about it."

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TV Ratings for Yu Darvish's press conference: Sapporo TV - 11.6%; NHK - 10.4%; Hokkaido TV - 8.5%; all five channels combined - 89.5%.

Darvish also updated his blog with additional thoughts from his press conference.

Yu Darvish headlines from January 25, 2012.

Sponichi

The Fighters prepared 220 seats at Sapporo Dome for reporters and camera crew on Tuesday.

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Fighters' owner Yoshinori Okoso told reporters on Tuesday that they needed to consider the team, the city, and the fans when thinking about how to use Darvish's posting fee.

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Tuesday's press conference lasted about 40 minutes and outdrew the previous two press conferences held at Sapporo Dome:

Yu Darvish leaving the team for the Majors (1/24/2012) - 10,811
Yuki Saito joining the team (12/9/2010) - ~8,000
Shinjo retiring (10/27/2006) - ~2,000
Shinjo joining the team (12/3/2003) - ~2,000

2,671 fans were in line when the gates to Sapporo Dome were opened at 2:35pm (25 minutes earlier than planned).  The first fan to get in line at around 5am (when temps were around -8 degrees Celsius) was a 66-year-old man from Sapporo.

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Darvish faced Daisuke Matsuzaka just once during his career in Japan: 6/27/2005, at Sapporo Dome.

Matsuzaka, L, 8 IP, 35 BF, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 9 SO, 3 ER

Darvish, W, 7 IP, 28 BF, 5 H, 5 BB, 0 HBP, 4 SO, 2 ER

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Some notes on Darvish's stats:

• Of the 324 pitchers that have tossed 1,000 or more total innings over their career, Darvish is just the six player to record an ERA under 2.00 and the second player since the two-league format.  He is also the third pitcher in NPB history to record five consecutive seasons of ERAs under 2.00, first since the start of the two-league format.
• Darvish is the only pitcher in NPB history to log 1,000 or more innings and have a winning percentage above .700 (93-38, .710).  He is also just the second pitcher to record six straight double-digit win and single-digit loss seasons.
• Darvish has 52 double-digit strikeout games over his career, 14 of which came last season.  He also struck out 15 or more three times last year.
• Darvish recorded three consecutive shutouts last year and tossed 46 consecutive innings without allowing a run.

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Comments from the press conference (taking just the ones that have not already been translated):

Your best memory?

The 2006 playoffs against Softbank when Kazumi Saito walked lead-off man [Hichori] Morimoto on four straight pitches with the fans going wild in the 9th inning.  It made me think how such a great pitcher could be affected by the fans.  I was not in the dugout at the time, but I can remember the cheering.

Your best moment?

My feels are the same for every pitch I threw and every game I pitched in.  I went all out so I can not pick just one.

What were you most concerned about during negotiations?

I was never concerned about the terms of the money.

What will your first pitch in the Majors be?

That will be up to the catcher, no?  I do not really care.  I did not have any feelings one way or the other when I threw my first NPB pitch.

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Nikkan Sports

Random quote from the press conference:

The main reason [for wanting to play in the US] is that I am a baseball player and I enjoy facing batters with the strong desire to get them out.  I feel that is my job.  When other players tell me...  Hmm...  How can I say this...  When I hear things before games like "please do not pitch in this series," or "I give up," or "I cannot hit you," even if it in jest, I begin to feel as if the match-ups are not exactly fair.  The expectations are different and I thought maybe playing in the Majors would be the answer.  I just wanted to compete at a high level.

Comments from the press conference (again, just the ones that have not been translated before):

What do you think of the fans' desire to see you pitch in a Nippon Ham Fighter uniform before retiring?

Of course, if I do decide to return, there is no doubt that would be my first choice.

Your best memory?

It is not a game I pitched, but the 2006 playoffs [against Softbank].  Kazumi Saito was the pitcher and it was the bottom of the 9th.  I vividly remember him walking the lead-off batter, Hichori [Morimoto].  I was watching from behind the dugout, the fans were going crazy.  Saito was overcome by their cheering and I am sure he walked [Morimoto] on four straight pitches.  That made me think about a great pitcher like this could not beat the cheering fans.  That is when I started thinking more about the fans.  I still remember the cheering.  As for memories of my own games, I can not pick one because I put everything behind each game I pitched and each pitch I threw.

Who would you like to see become the face of the Fighters?

[Masao] Kida!  I of course want Kida to do his best, but like the fans, I think [Sho] Nakata...  I feel he needs to bat fourth and help the team win.  There are a lot of young arms and I think they will all do well, but Nakata is number one.

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UPDATE @ 6:25pm - Sapporo TV's Kimihiko Nagai (45) was the media representative at Darvish's press conference on Tuesday (he was the one that asked the questions).

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Team owner Hiroji Okoso told reporters that instead of seeing Darvish return to Japan and play for the Fighters again some day, he was more interested in seeing Darvish become the type of player that can play out the rest of his career in the Majors.