I knew this was going to be one of the upsides to hiring Hillman as their coach and that is bringing talent from Japan home to KC. Yabuta was 4-6 last season with a 2.73 ERA and four saves in 58 games. At the World Baseball Classic before the 2006 season he attracted attention by striking out Alex Rodriguez, Derrek Lee and Johnny Damon in an outing that lasted only 1 1/3 innings. He is also 34.According to the Kansas City Star, the Royals "already have an agreement in place with Japanese reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta."
The newspaper suggests that "the Royals expect to confirm their signing of Yabuta within a few days." He's reportedly expected to sign a two-year deal with a club option for a third season, with the Royals apparently beating out a handful of other teams for his services.