– Right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma will reportedly move down the Pacific coast from Seattle to Los Angeles to play for the Dodgers next season.
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ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick is reporting that the Royals and reliever Joakim Soria are finalizing a three-year contract.
Iwakuma turns 35 in April, so he presumably wouldn’t require the long-term commitment of younger pitchers like Johnny Cueto, or the five-year deal signed by Jeff Samardzija with San Francisco earlier on Saturday. While Iwakuma has had a consistently lower strikeout rate, his 21 walks in 129.2 innings pitched was good for an outstanding 1.5 BB/9 IP ratio, which would have ranked third in the Major League Baseball had he pitched enough innings to qualify. The 34-year-old starter has been a reliable second option for Seattle behind Felix Hernandez the past few years, posting a 3.17 ERA in 111 games over the span of four seasons. While Dipoto hasn’t publicly stated his intentions with the rotation, he may have a plan with all the pieces that are already in place. He became just the second Japanese-born pitcher after Hideo Nomo to throw a no-hitter in the US major leagues, which ended a run of 12 straight no-hitters thrown by National League pitchers, when he silenced the Baltimore Orioles in a 3-0 Mariners win in August. The Detroit Tigers had also shown interest in Iwakuma. There are several Seattle Mariners rumors about the team extending a free agent offer, but that the Dodgers have topped it in dollar amount.
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That’s the same age Iwakuma will be at the end of a three-year deal.
