Report: Red Sox Will Nontender Hideki Okajima

by Jared Stegall on Dec 2, 2010 1:15 AM EST in News

According to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com, the Red Sox plan to not tender the contract of left-handed reliever Hideki Okajima, a club source said late Wednesday night. Okajima is expected to become a free agent.

Okajima earned $2.8 million dollars last season and was scheduled to be arbitration-eligible.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2010 - Hideki Okajima	4-4	57	0	0	0	0	4	46.0	59	24	23	6	20	33	4.50	1.72

Okajima last year had by far the worst of his four seasons in Boston after coming over from Japan with Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007, posting a sub-par 4.50 ERA and costing the Red Sox a ton of games in later innings (the Seattle one still sticks with me). He struggled terribly on the road as opponents hit .398 off of him.

Okajima could be brought back says Edes, because left-handed relievers are very hard to come by, but the Sox would only do so at a lower price. With Okajima now gone, the Red Sox will likely step up their efforts to acquire a left handed reliever in addition to their pursuit of Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, and Adrian Beltre.

Blue Jays reliever Scott Downs remains the best left-handed reliever on the market, however because he is a Type-A free agent, any team who signs him would have to give the Blue Jays a high draft pick in return. The Red Sox have also expressed interest in Twins reliever Matt Guerrier.

Either way, the Red Sox are certainly going to have some different faces in the bullpen next season.

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No surprise

Though I was a little worried they might offer him arbitration for some reason.

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by Ben Buchanan on Dec 2, 2010 1:25 AM EST reply actions

Guerrier isn't left-handed

overused, yes, but not left-handed. The Twins’ LHP FAs are Brian Fuentes (good, but closer-y, and wants to be paid as such,) Randy Flores (meh) and Ron Mahay (old, had surgery on his non-throwing arm after being injured while fielding)

by morineko on Dec 2, 2010 1:28 AM EST reply actions

Reason wins again

Can lightning strike twice on another of our arbitration bullpen arms?

Please let it be so.

"We are not normal, We are Legends. People will tell their kids about us." - Deon Butler before Ohio State Game 2008.

by Rogue Nine on Dec 2, 2010 1:32 AM EST reply actions

I think Okajima will picked up by another club..

I think Oki was Tito’s Scott Proctor. he relied on him way too much, and he is a pretty delicate pitcher. As long as manager doesn’t rely on him a 7-8th innning bridge every other day, he should do fine, If I were an NL West team, I would pick him up..

As much as the guy was awful in 2010, he was a huge component for the 2007 team. He earn his keep in the game 2 of the 2007 World Series. (yeah, yeah, game 3 and 4, not so much)

As much as I have a crush on Oki, the Sox made the right move, they have to change the bullpen, they can’t have the same bullpen from 2010 and expect to make the playoffs in 2011.

by superferret on Dec 2, 2010 2:34 AM EST reply actions

I think he would do well to transition to the NL

His delivery is baffling to hitters – does anyone have his stats this past season against the NL? (I know the sample would be smaill). Either way, I wish him all the best.

"Man that ball got outta here in a hurry, you know anything that travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it, don't you think?" - Crash Davis

by Dave D on Dec 2, 2010 4:53 AM EST reply actions

ask and ye shall receive

6.2 IP, 10 Hits allowed, 8 Ks, 1 BB
5.40 ERA

But it IS a small sample.

by wolf9309 on Dec 2, 2010 10:43 AM EST up reply actions

thanks so of the websites with the advanced stats are blocked over here

but there must enough Sox fans to have this available!

The

"Man that ball got outta here in a hurry, you know anything that travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it, don't you think?" - Crash Davis

by Dave D on Dec 2, 2010 11:31 AM EST up reply actions