After more than a month of speculation – and his own announcement in Japan last week – the Seattle Mariners officially signed infielder Munenori Kawasaki to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training Wednesday.
“Being able to add a player with the résumé that Kawasaki possesses is very good news for the Mariners,” general manager Jack Zduriencik said. “We are looking forward to having him compete for a major league position in spring training. He is a high-energy player with a record of success in Japan.”
An eight-time all-star in Japan, the 30-year-old Kawasaki has a .294 career average in 1,145 games. American scouts have raved about his defense but openly question whether he’ll be able to hit in the major leagues.
Kawasaki joins good friend Ichiro Suzuki and newly signed pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma with the Mariners this spring, and will likely compete for a job off the Seattle bench as a reserve infielder.
When the Mariners travel to Japan to open the season against Oakland and play two exhibition games, all three will almost certainly be among the 30 players Seattle takes along.
DODGERS, FOX SETTLE
A bankruptcy judge in Wilmington, Del., approved a settlement between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Fox Sports that clears the way for the sale of the team.
The settlement, reached late Tuesday, ends a contentious legal battle between the ballclub and Fox.
Fox Sports attorney Greg Werkheiser said Fox was glad to have resolved its differences with the Dodgers, and attorneys for Major League Baseball and the Dodgers’ committee of unsecured creditors told Judge Kevin Gross they support the settlement.
Gross quickly signed off on the settlement, saying it was in the best interest of all parties.
The settlement was reached with the help of a court-appointed mediator after a federal district court judge said last month that Fox likely would win an appeal of a ruling by Gross that authorized the Dodgers to begin a process to market the media rights to future games starting in 2014.
Fox Sports Net West, part of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., claimed that the media rights marketing plan violated its rights under an existing telecast contract with the Dodgers.
Under the settlement, the Dodgers will abide by the terms of the existing media-rights contract with Fox. That contract gives Fox an exclusive 45-day period starting in October to try to negotiate a contract extension with the Dodgers. The contract also prohibits the Dodgers from talking to other potential buyers of the media rights before Nov. 30 and gives Fox a limited right of first refusal on competing offers received after that date.
SHORT HOPS
Injured first baseman Kendrys Morales and the Angels agreed to a one-year contract worth $2,975,000, avoiding salary arbitration. Morales hasn’t played since breaking his left ankle while jumping on home plate to celebrate a game-ending grand slam May 29, 2010, against the Mariners. … Outfielder Scott Hairston and the Mets finalized a $1.1 million, one-year contract. … Pitcher Ryan Vogelsong and the Giants agreed to a two-year contract worth approximately $8.3 million. The deal includes a club option for 2014. … Free agent Luke Scott agreed to a one-year deal with the Rays that includes a 2013 option, according to an industry source. Terms weren’t disclosed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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