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2ND LD: Yankees win negotiating rights for Igawa: Tigers
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OSAKA, Nov. 29 (10:29) Kyodo
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(EDS: UPDATING WITH FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT BY HANSHIN, CHANGING
DATALINE)
The New York Yankees have won the right to negotiate with
Hanshin Tigers left-hander Kei Igawa, the Central League club said
Wednesday, adding it accepted the Yankees' offer of about $26 million
(3 billion yen).
The Tigers made the announcement a day after they said they had
accepted an offer from a major league team for Igawa without giving
any further details. The Yankees now have 30 days to reach a contract
agreement with the 27-year old.
U.S. media earlier reported the New York Yankees was among the
major league teams that have shown interest in Igawa along with the
New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians.
Igawa is the third Japanese player this offseason to be handed
the opportunity to play in the majors via the posting system.
Earlier this month, the Seibu Lions accepted a $51 million offer
from the Boston Red Sox for Daisuke Matsuzaka and the Tampa Bay Devil
Rays acquired the negotiating rights for Yakult Swallows infielder
Akinori Iwamura for an undisclosed amount.
Under the posting system, major league teams present sealed bids
for Japanese players seeking to pursue a major league career before
acquiring free agent status.
Igawa had repeatedly tried to convince Hanshin to put him up for
auction through the same system, only to have his request turned down
by the team until receiving the green light finally after the 2006
season.
Igawa went 14-9 this year with a 2.97 earned run average,
posting double-digit wins for the fifth straight year. He struck out
194 to tie Chunichi Dragons right-hander Kenshin Kawakami for the
league lead, adding to the strikeout titles he won in 2002 and 2004.
Winner of the Sawamura Award and Central League MVP honor in
2003, Igawa has an 86-60 record in his nine-year career with a 3.15
ERA and 1,174 strikeouts in 190 games and 1,244 innings. |
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