Sources: Oakland A's making big push for Japanese pitcher - MLB News - FOX Sports on MSN
I hope the A's can pull it off and then make a trade for a hitter. FAs just don't seem to want to sign there (Furcal, Scutaro, Beltre, etc.). Supposedly, Rakuten is going to accept the winning bid. The bid could be higher than $16 mil. Iwakuma is the 2nd best pitcher in Japan behind Darvish according to many.The A’s could be on the verge of pulling off the first major surprise of the offseason.
The posting process for Japanese right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma closed Friday, and the A’s, Rangers and Mariners were among the clubs to submit bids, according to major-league sources.
The identity of the high bidder is not known, but the A’s are believed to have made a strong push with the idea of creating a surplus of starting pitching that would help them trade for a hitter.