Right-hander Randy Messenger has revived his career with three dominant seasons for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball, and MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned that Messenger has a three-year offer to remain with the Tigers (Twitter link). The offer is in the $15MM range, which, as noted by NPB's Patrick Newman, would make Messenger the highest-paid foreign player in Hanshin's franchise history (Twitter link).
Messenger, 32, joined the Tigers for the 2010 season but didn't have a breakout campaign until 2011. Since that time, he's posted a 2.75 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 543 innings out Hanshin's rotation. Messenger was particularly impressive in 2013, boosting his K/9 to 8.4 and firing six complete games, including a trio of shutouts.
There has been speculation that Messenger might return to the Major Leagues and enjoy a similar success story to Colby Lewis, but a $15MM offer could very well be enough to keep him in Japan. The Twins showed interest last offseason, but the Tigers didn't want to let go of their right-hander, who was under control through the 2013 season.
