Former Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma may be back on market
SEATTLE – Former Mariners right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma could be returning to the free-agent market amid health concerns that now jeopardize his tentative three-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Iwakuma and the Dodgers agreed Dec. 6 to a three-year contract for $45 million pending a physical, but Jiji Press reported Thursday that L.A. officials began backing away from the deal after viewing results of the exam.
The report did not identify the nature of the medical concern. Numerous subsequent reports confirmed the Dodgers’ concern.
Sources say the Dodgers are now trying to salvage the deal by reworking the contract to include safeguards. If those efforts fail, Iwakuma could return to the free-agent market –with reduced negotiating leverage.
It’s hard to gauge the Mariners’ potential renewed interest in Iwakuma because they responded quickly to his departure by acquiring workhorse left-hander Wade Miley through a trade with Boston.
But an executive from another club said many teams might “take a flier” on Iwakuma at a “cut-rate price” such as a low guarantee on a one-year deal that is heavy on performance bonuses.
“My guess,” still another club official said, “is the Dodgers (will) get something worked out. But people are watching to see what happens.”
Iwakuma, 34, missed 11 weeks last season because of a strained back muscle but returned in early July and finished 9-5 with a 3.54 ERA in 20 starts. He pitched a no-hitter on Aug. 12 in a 3-0 victory over Baltimore.
The Mariners sought to retain Iwakuma by, first, extending a qualifying offer of $15.8 million. When he chose instead to become a free agent, the Mariners proposed a two-year deal that included a vesting option for 2018.
Had Iwakuma triggered the vesting option, the contract’s value would have been roughly equivalent of the Dodgers’ three-year guaranteed offer.
But when the Mariners declined to guarantee the third year of their offer, Iwakuma chose to sign with the Dodgers. In compensation, the Mariners received a draft pick next year between the first and second rounds.
The Mariners, just one day later, acquired Miley and reliever Jonathan Aro from the Red Sox in return for reliever Carson Smith and left-handed starter Roenis Elias.
Minor signings
The Mariners confirmed five minor-league signings Thursday that include invitations to big-league camp, including two – infielder Ed Lucas and outfielder Mike Baxter – that had previously been reported.
The other three signings are pitchers: lefty Brad Mills and right-handers Casey Coleman and Blake Parker. All five are a good bet to open next season at Triple-A Omaha.
Mills, 30, spent most of last season at Triple-A Nashville in the Oakland system, where he was 5-12 with a 4.52 ERA in 24 starts. He spent most of the last seven years shuttling between the majors and Triple-A.
Coleman, 28, made 10 relief appearances last season at Kansas City, and allowed seven earned runs in 10 innings. He was 5-4 with a 4.92 ERA in 33 relief outings at Triple-A Omaha.
Parker, 30, made only three appearances last season at Triple-A Iowa in the Chicago Cubs’ system before undergoing elbow surgery. He is 2-3 with a 3.68 ERA in 74 big-league outings from 2012-14 with the Cubs.
Lucas, 33, batted .316 in 107 games at Triple-A Round Rock in the Texas system. Baxter, 31, batted .246 in 34 games for the Cubs and .279 with a .390 on-base percentage in 74 games at Iowa.