Five More Teams Show Interest In Fukumori

I didn't expect that much interest for him. I wonder how many are legit deals and how many are minor league contracts.

Neither did I, though the success of Hideki Okajima did create a market for Japanese relievers like we never saw before.

As for Fukumori, I figure the majority of the deals be a low-risk minor league contract, since I'd be a little wary of taking a chance on a guaranteed contract after coming off surgery this year.

Just to update this story, apparently a lot of the interest in Fukumori are minor league deals. Though the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates are rumored to have deeper interest in the righty.

Hochi Sports mentions that the Padres, Diamondbacks, and Nationals have interest in Fukumori. Whether these deals are of the minor league type or a guaranteed one is unknown.

To round out the rumor mill in the U.S. papers, The Pittsburgh-Post Gazette reports that the Pirates are indeed interested in Fukumori. Similarly, the San Diego Union Tribune says the Padres are interested in Fukumori. The Denver Post says that the Rockies could also be a possibility. But like I mentioned above, the articles make no mention of possible contract offers.

One more thing about Fukumori, it's now highly unlikely now that the Devil Rays are interested as they signed Troy Percival to close. Former closer Al Reyes figures to be the new set-up man, and Tampa Bay is interested in free agent reliever Ron Mahay.

I think Pittsburgh is definitely in the mix now. It looks as if Masumi Kuwata is going to return for one more year with Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh could use him to help ease another Japanese player into the organization. Pittsburgh let FA reliever Shawn Chacon go, and they had problems on and off the field with workhorse RP Salomon Torres in 2007 that may or may not be resolved with a new manager/front office in place, so the Pirates are probably looking looking at Fukumori as an affordable option for bullpen depth.

I think what this continues to illustrate is that right now in MLB there is a serious shortage of quality arms in the bullpen. With the many successes of former NPB players and the relative inexpensive nature of these signings, it is more than a decent gamble. When the D-Rays sign Troy Percival, who hasn't pitched well in a closing role since 2004 to a 2 year deal for a reported $8 million, plus an additional $4 million in incentives, taking a chance on guys like Fukumori makes a whole lot of sense.

The Washington Post says that the Nationals have acknowledged that they have had discussions with Fukumori, though no contract offer information has been released.

The Fukumori sweepstakes continues to get more interesting every day, Newsday reports the Yankees are now interested in Fukumori.

The article confirms what was previously said, that Fukumori is seeking a multi-year deal. Newsday speculates that it's more likely the Yankees will only offer a one year deal.

It looks like Fukumori is close to signing with the Texas Rangers. The Dallas Morning News says the Rangers and Fukumori are close to a 2 year contract, worth $3 million.

With Ron Washington's lack of confidence in both Wilson and Benoit, and the release of Ohtsuka, this could be a very solid opportunity for Fukumori. A good spring training and he could very well end up closing for the Rangers in 2008.