Sox set to land Tazawa

Rumors have persisted through much of the offseason the Sox were the favorites to land the services of young Japanese right-hander Junichi Tazawa, and the whispers are expected to graduate to an official announcement this week.

The 22-year-old Japanese amateur made some big waves in his home country by requesting that all Japanese Professional League teams bypass him in their own amateur draft  so he could openly negotiate with Major League teams this winter.

The Mainichi Daily News has reported Tazawa has stopped fielding offers from Major League teams, and sources indicate he’s expected to ink a big league deal with the Sox this week and begin his career in the minors.

“I appreciate that I have been highly rated by the teams. I want to make a decision [which team to sign with] as soon as possible,” Tazawa told Japanese reporters last week after meeting with Texas Rangers representatives.

The hurler pitched in the Japanese Industrial League this past season after graduating from a high school in Yokohama — the same area of Japan that produced current Sox hurler Daisuke Matsuzaka. Tazawa is said to be a huge fan of Matsuzaka, and that has reflected favorably in Tazawa’s preference to don red socks for the foreseeable future.

“Things have changed a lot with Hideki and Daisuke, and things have really opened Japan to the Red Sox,” said Sox Special Assistant to the GM Craig Shipley, who along with Pacific Rim scout Jon Deeble tracked Tazawa for the last year. “And not just Japan, but Asia as well. [Dice-K and Okajima] are known throughout Asia.”