• Seven teams have surfaced in Japanese media reports as suitors for free agent amateur pitcher Junichi Tazawa: the Red Sox, Braves, Mariners, Pirates, Tigers, Cubs, and Phillies.  David O’Brien of the AJC says the Braves are "legit players" for Tazawa.  The Red Sox are seen as the frontrunner, according to Paul Hoynes.  Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald agrees that Boston is in the lead, and adds the Marlins to the mix.
• Reliever Hitoki Iwase will remain in Japan.  Shortstop Tomohiro Nioka is a free agent, but may not necessarily come to MLB.
• So Taguchi and Tadahito Iguchi may return to Japan for the ’09 season.
• Saburo Ohmura is a 32 centerfielder with an eye on MLB.  Newman tells me he profiles as more of a fourth outfielder.

Iwase, a 34 year-old southpaw, would’ve been the best reliever coming over from Japan.  He posted a 2.94 ERA and 7.5 K/9 in 49 innings this year.

• Japanese reliever Hitoki Iwase will receive a multiyear offer from the Chunichi Dragons.  If he turns it down, he’ll attract interest from MLB teams.
• Richard Justice describes the bad blood between former Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker and owner Drayton McLane.
• SI.com’s Jon Heyman talked to a "Dodgers-connected person" who believes Russell Martin was "just another catcher" this year.  Mitchel Lichtman does not agree.
• Heyman named the Orioles as a potential Manny Ramirez suitor, but Roch Kubatko finds a signing highly unlikely.

That Michael was sent to Japan for the first time signifies a shift for the Yankees, who have relied on their Pacific scouts for several years. Following the disastrous signing of Kei Igawa, however, the Yankees aren’t taking any chances, sending one of their most trusted talent evaluators to look at potential acquisitions.

Feinsand notes that it is unclear which players the Yankees are interested in, but does list several players that could be available including right-handers Koji Uehara, Kenshin Kawakami and lefty Hitoki Iwase, a reliever.

Feinsand does not mention the biggest potential prize, Yu Darvish. Previously the Yankees were listed as one of the teams with a scout at the Olympics to watch Darvish. While nobody is certain that Darvish will be posted this winter, if rumors of a $75MM posting fee are even close to accurate, the Yankees will have to be involved.

In July we looked at some potential free agents from Japan and last winter East Windup Chronicle ranked several Japanese pitchers, none of whom have yet to make the jump to the US.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

• Hitoki Iwase was lit up in the Olympics, possibly dropping his stock as a prospect. Iwase was one of several Japanese players being scouted by Major League clubs in Beijing.
• Luis Gonzalez reminisces about his trade to the Diamondbacks ten years ago.
• Manny Ramirez is not interested in talking about those old Philadelphia rumors. I’m shocked, shocked.
• J.D. Drew’s back spasms are actually a herniated disk. According to Nick Cafardo, the Red Sox would love to add another outfielder, but can’t seem to lay their hands on one. No offense to Jason Lane.
• He’s baaaa-aaaack: Free-agent-to-be Carl Pavano is starting tonight for the New York Yankees. Strike up the band and break out the rum punch.
• Recently traded infielder Jose Bautista was at odds with Pirates manager John Russell.
• Thomas Boswell talks about the possibility of Stephen Strasburg becoming a National next year.

Sarah Green writes for UmpBump and the Boston Metro and can be reached here.

• Live chat here today at 2pm CST.
• Brian Matusz is hopeful about striking a deal with the Orioles by Friday’s deadline.  Roch Kubatko has a source saying it’s likely.
• Baseball America’s Jim Callis warns us not to listen to the posturing – he still expects all the first-round draft picks to sign with the possible exception of Allan Dykstra.
• Should the Mariners offer Raul Ibanez a three-year deal at $10-11MM per?
• No word yet on possible Rays acquisitions in wake of the Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria injuries.  Marc Lancaster wonders if Kenny Lofton or…don’t say it…Barry Bonds would make sense.
• The Mets had no interest in Adam Dunn.  They wonder about his passion, according to Joel Sherman.  Did you know he doesn’t like baseball?
• The Phillies were more interested in Casey Blake than Manny Ramirez.
• Athletics Nation looks at some free agent options for ’09.
• Shannon Stewart didn’t understand his latest Blue Jay Experience.
• The Yankees, Mets, Angels, and Padres have scouts at the Olympics to watch Hitoki Iwase, Koji Uehara, Kenshin Kawakami, Yu Darvish, and Kyuji Fujikawa.

• Nate Silver of Baseball Prospectus rates the best remaining fits for Barry Bonds.  The Angels come out on top.
• The Mets seem pessimistic about Ryan Church returning this season.
• MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo has the latest buzz on the unsigned draft picks.
• The Astros dug up a pitcher in the independent leagues who is said to touch 100 mph.  He’s a 21 year-old righty named Jack Tilghman.
• The Pirates plan to offer long-term contracts to Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit.
• Sean McAdam says the Red Sox still have some interest in Scott Eyre.
• Dave Cameron can’t figure out what kind of contract Milton Bradley will get.  Did you realize Bradley leads the American League in both OBP and SLG?
• Patrick Newman ranks Hitoki Iwase, Kenshin Kawakami, and Koji Uehara as MLB prospects.

• Live chat today here at 2pm CST.
• MiLB.com is holding a charity auction with all kinds of memorabilia.  Check it out.
• NPB Tracker takes a look at Japanese closer Hitoki Iwase, who should draw plenty of interest from MLB teams this winter.
• Trading Greg Maddux to the Dodgers is still possible, though unlikely.  There’s also word that the Padres "tested the trade value" of Cla Meredith last week.
• Livan Hernandez is expected to clear waivers today.  We know the Rockies have discussed him internally, and Buster Olney speculates the Mets might be interested.  The D’Backs are not likely to bring him back.
• The Tigers reportedly asked for Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins for Ivan Rodriguez.
• I did a Q&A with Philly Sports 101.
• Tom Haudricourt has details on Prince Fielder’s dugout shoves of teammate Manny Parra.
• Joba Chamberlain is experiencing shoulder stiffness and will probably end up on the DL.  It appears his labrum and rotator cuff are OK, at least.

Meanwhile lefty closer Hitoki Iwase, coveted by many MLB teams, has decided to stay in Japan.  The Rockies, Royals, and Cubs had their eye on him.

Iwase told the press that he was "very impressed with the offer, and definitely thinking about remaining a Dragon."  In that case he would not file for free agency.  Right now, the vibe is that he will stay in Japan.  The Royals, Cubs, and Rockies are among the MLB teams interested in his services.

Thanks to Tak Iwanaga for translating.

• Ringolsby says Garrett Atkins is staying put, which should help the third baseman relax a little bit.  This echoes Renck’s sentiments yesterday.  Renck also noted that the Rox won’t be offering Atkins a multiyear deal anytime soon.
• Yesterday Renck said that after Yorvit Torrealba, the Rockies were considering Jose Molina, Paul Lo Duca, Jason Kendall, and Ramon Castro for catcher.  However Ringolsby says today that Michael Barrett and Kendall are the main targets.  Renck has come on board with that today, noting that Dan O’Dowd has contacted the agents for Barrett, Kendall, and Lo Duca.
• Ringolsby adds that the Rockies are exploring the Japanese reliever market, namely Hitoki Iwase and Kazuo Fukumori.  Fukumori might appeal as the cheaper of the two.
• Meanwhile the Indians, Brewers, Phillies, and Mets like Brian Fuentes.  We’ve also read about the Tigers’ interest.  The Rockies’ willingness to trade him may depend on the progress of 2007 top draft pick Casey Weathers.
• Jason Jennings might be leaning toward signing with the Padres.  This echoes an obscure article we found back in July.
• Renck says that if the Rockies don’t hear by Tuesday about their offers to Kaz Matsui, Matt Herges, LaTroy Hawkins, and Torrealba, they’ll start looking at other options. 
• Renck adds that the Rockies have checked in with Ron Mahay’s people.  He’s getting popular.
• The Rockies are out on Jon Garland – they can’t fit his $12MM salary into the 2008 budget.  Matsui moving on would clear $3MM though.
• The idea of locking up Troy Tulowitzki long-term is being entertained.  It probably wouldn’t happen until after the 2008 season though.

• While Joakim Soria will remain in the pen, the Royals want to add more relief help.  They could re-sign David Riske, and even plan to contact Francisco Cordero’s agent (Bean Stringfellow).  Bringing back Octavio Dotel is also being considered, though Soria would remain the closer.
• Ron Mahay is on the radar.  It’s thought that he’ll require something close to a three-year, $12MM deal as one of the better southpaw relievers out there.  Riske wants a deal like that too.  Dayton, just take the draft pick.
• I’ve yet to mention here Dayton Moore’s quotes.  Basically, steroid allegations won’t affect the team’s pursuit of any player, meaning they still like Jose Guillen.  It’s not surprising to see GMs moving in this direction.
• Japan presents options such as Hitoki Iwase, Kazuo Fukumori, and Yashuhiko Yabuta.  New manager Trey Hillman observed Iwase up close this year.
• What about more starting pitching?  The Royals like Carlos Silva, Hiroki Kuroda, Kris Benson, Matt Clement, and Jason Jennings.  Something useful could come out of that.
• By the way, the Royals saw Glendon Rusch work out recently.  The swingman came up as a Royal before being traded to the Mets in ’99.

Another name to add to the list: lefty closer Hitoki Iwase.  The Cubs have reportedly heavily scouted Iwase and Kuroda.  The Cubs’ closer situation is wide open, with Ryan Dempster moving to the starting rotation.

De Luca also reports that the Cubs will inquire on head of the class free agent starter Carlos Silva.  Silva shares an agent with Carlos Zambrano.  No one expects Silva to come cheaper than four years, $40MM.  The Cubs showed last year that they were willing to invest that kind of money in starting pitching.  Their efforts may be bolstered by their success in importing Ted Lilly from the AL. 

Also, a possible trade could be developing with the Rays.  Tampa Bay is looking to add a shortstop, but the free agent crop is already down to just David Eckstein, Cesar Izturis, and the wild card Alexei Ramirez.  Eckstein isn’t the defensive-minded the guy the Rays covet, and he’d be too expensive anyway.  Marc Topkin names four possible trade targets for the Rays: Erick Aybar, Ronny Cedeno, Chin-Ling Hu, and Brent Lillibridge.  The Cubs are known to have interest in Carl Crawford.  The two parties might have a starting point in Cedeno, but quality pitching like Rich Hill and/or Carlos Marmol would have to be added to the package.    

1. Hitoki Iwase – Iwase was on the hill for the tail end of last night’s perfect game, the Japan Series clinching victory for the Chunichi Dragons. The lefty closer has 40+ saves three years running with a career 1.91 ERA. Tops out at around 93 MPH, but has arguably the best slider in Japan.  He’s starting to lose movement and velocity on his pitches, but is making up for it with very good control.   A nice fit for the Okajima fetishist.

2. Kenshin Kawakami – Japan’s highest paid starter for the champion Chunichi Dragons (he made around $3MM) mixes a fastball, cutter, and curveball.  His fastball runs around 87 and his curve is very slow. He’s known as a big game pitcher and always challenges hitters. He was 12-8 with a 3.55 ERA in 2007, but the K/BB ratio was an appealing 6.3 in 167 2/3 IP.  He’s a HR prone strikeout pitcher.  Kawakami has been healthy for the past four seasons.

3. Hiroki Kuroda – One number to remember here: 300, as in 300 feet to left and 300 feet to right. That’s the stadium Kuroda spent 10 years in, and still he managed to post a sub-2.00 ERA in 2006 and go 13-6. What could he do in Petco with 67 extra feet to left to play with?  Tak says that at the least, he’s an innings eater.

4. Kazumi Saito – Before Dice-K made his way to Boston, it was Hanshin’s Saito, not Matsuzaka that was regarded as the top starter in Japanese baseball. He’s won the Sawamura award three times, and when healthy puts up absurd numbers and gaudy K totals.   His 2006 line for the Fukuoka Hawks–18-5, 205 K’s in 201 IP, a 1.75 ERA–is the stuff of fictional video game characters.  Saito employs a big time leg kick, mixing up a forkball, cutter, and nasty hammer in with his mid 90’s fastball. 

Unfortunately for Saito and the many MLB suitors bandying his name about, he has been dealing with a chronic Prior-esque shoulder injury that could (and should) be a concern for squads ready to drop big coin on a Japanese starter.  Saito’s numbers when healthy were good this year as he battled back from injury: 6-3, 2.74, 71 K’s in 72 1/3 IP, but are teams going to post a $30 million posting fee and $10 mil a year for a starter with shoulder issues?  Boom or bust. 

5. Masahide Kobayashi – Lost seven games and ERA rose nearly a point in 2007, but that shouldn’t deter teams from pursuing this 200+ save closer for Chiba Lotte. Throws from the stretch, and has that deceptive delivery that scouts seem to like these days. Has a great forkball that often tails in toward the batter. Not as good as Iwase or Koji Uehara, but might just be an upgrade over, say, The Farns.  Tak adds that he was dropped to the "minors" at the end of the season and many feel his velocity and control are slipping.

• There’s always some skepticism from readers regarding Charley Walters rumors.  Nonetheless I’ll report that he names the Nationals, White Sox, Braves, Yankees, and Dodgers as teams that will bid for Torii Hunter.  I don’t see the Braves getting involved at $15MM per.  And are the Dodgers ready to move Juan Pierre to left field already?  The other clubs named seem reasonable.
• As expected, the Cardinals interviewed Chris Antonetti for their open GM position.  No doubt it’s an attractive position but you have to wonder what kind of autonomy he’d have with Tony La Russa around.
• Larry LaRue makes the case for the Mariners tendering a contract to Horacio Ramirez.  He also notes that Jose Guillen is as good as gone and the Ms won’t consider A-Rod.
• Speaking of that guy, Bill Price suggests the Mets should sign him and move David Wright to first base.  Carlos Delgado I suppose would be a very expensive pinch-hitter in 2008. 
• Nick Cafardo expects the Orioles to shop Miguel Tejada this winter, which would surprise no one.  But he’s also hearing that Erik Bedard could be available.  Trades of either might be unpopular with the fanbase.  The trade market for starters could be hopping if Johan Santana, Bedard, and C.C. Sabathia are made available.
• Joel Sherman says Koji Uehara is a free agent, but we have heard differently.  Anyway, the success of Hideki Okajima may create a minor bidding war for Hitoki Iwase.