Kamado Report: Saito signs with the Red Sox

January 10, 7:04 PMAsian-American Sports ExaminerMichael Street

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The acquisition of Saito gives Boston
the best bullpen in baseball (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

East Coast Boston is moving farther East every day. With prominent Japanese players like Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima and Junichi Tazawa already on their major-league roster, the Red Sox have now added former closer Takashi Saito to the team, according to several sources.

Saito, as I wrote in an earlier Kamado Report, was formerly a top-flight closer for the Dodgers, but his injury last season opened the door for Jonathan Broxton. Frightened by his elbow problems, the Dodgers didn't want to offer him the long-term deal he was thinking, so they non-tendered Saito in December.

Saito would likely share, or take over, setup duties from Hideki Okajima, and certainly brings even more Asian attention to baseball's most successful franchise in the past decade. As the Yankees continue to throw big bucks at players like CC Sabathia, Mark Teixiera and A.J. Burnett, the Red Sox have recently made several lower-profile signings of players with a bit of a risk: Rocco Baldelli, Mark Kotsay, John Smoltz, and Brad Penny. 

Saito makes the Boston bullpen the best in baseball, and increases the Asian profile of this excellent franchise. GM Theo Epstein has done extremely well finding bargains in unexpected places, and his acquisition of players like Junichi Tazawa and Takashi Saito is not only an incidation of his thrift, it's also a sign that the club is becoming an even better place for Japanese players to sign.

Tazawa stated that he was swayed by the presence of Matsuzaka, his hero, and Japanese players in general tend to be very loyal to organizations that treat them well. If Boston can continue to impress its Japanese imports with its cultural openness and loyalty, they will quickly become the destination of choice for Japanese players looking to migrate to the major leagues.