Japanese starter Hideaki Wakui could make himself available on the MLB free agent market this winter.
“We’ve known how he has always felt (about wanting to play in the majors),” an executive with the Chiba Lotte Marines told the Japan Times. “He’s an indispensable player to the team but he does have the right (to declare free agency) and it is his dream.” Wakui would be exempt from international signing regulations as a 31-year-old who has logged 13 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. The right-hander posted a 3.99 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 115/53 K/BB ratio in 158 innings (25 starts) this past year with Chiba Lotte.
