A's News Clips, Monday, November 22, 2010 Drumbeat
A’s News Clips, Monday, November 22, 2010 Drumbeat: Iwakuma info from Japan; pursuit almost officially over From Chronicle Staff Writer Susan Slusser 11/22/2010 12:10AM Update: I've received more detailed information from Japan since posting this, so will note that where necessary. I just got a call from Japan at midnight California time, and a source with knowledge of the A's talks with Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma told me that it is more than likely that Iwakuma's Pacific League team, Rakuten, will announce his return to the Golden Eagles today. Talks with the A's? "Ended," the source said. "I think so. I don't even know why they bid on the posting." New information: I'm told that the posting fee was $18 million, a bit higher than the $16 million that had been estimated in the U.S. That info came from Japan, not from a major-league source. According to the source in Japan, the A's were offering $3.8 million per year, a figure that did not include the posting fee; that's right in line with the $3-5 million per year average the Chronicle reported on Sunday. The A's, the source said, wanted to use Texas pitcher Colby Lewis, who pitched in Japan before returning to become a top-notch starter with the Rangers, as a comparison; Lewis will make $3 million next season. Kei Igawa's five-year, $20 million deal with the Yankees was also mentioned. "They basically said take it or leave it," the Japanese source said of the A's.
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