Yankees and Igawa agree to terms on deal...

Originally Posted by ESPN

Looks like the New York Yankees can't get enough of left-handed starters.

They already had Randy Johnson. Then they lured Andy Pettitte back to the Bronx this offseason. Now, multiple media reports said on Monday night that the Yankees have reached agreement with Japanese southpaw Kei Igawa.

The Yomiuri Shimbun put the value of the deal at $20 million over five years. That's on top of the $26 million that the Yankees bid to negotiate with the 27-year-old. They will pay that sum to his old team, the Hanshin Tigers, when the deal becomes official.

The newspaper also reported that the deal includes incentives but did not specify what they were.

The deal comes less than a week after the rival Boston Red Sox signed Japanese star Daisuke Matsuzaka to a six-year, $52 million deal.

Igawa was 14-9 with a 2.97 ERA in Japan last season. He won the Central League MVP in 2003 when he was 20-5 with a 2.80 ERA.

Pettitte, meanwhile, was en route to New York to take his physical and finalize his one-year, $16 million deal.

Originally Posted by ESPN

NEW YORK -- Japanese pitcher Kei Igawa and the New York Yankees completed their $20 million, five-year contract on Wednesday, a deal that was in the works for weeks.

The Yankees had until Thursday to finalize an agreement with Igawa after bidding $26,000,194 last month for the right to negotiate with him. The left-hander went 14-9 with a 2.97 ERA and 194 strikeouts for the Hanshin Tigers last season.

The Yankees must pay the bid fee to the Tigers within five business days.

Igawa, 27, figures to fit at the back end of a rotation that includes Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte and Randy Johnson -- though the Yankees are exploring trade offers for Johnson.

New York also has oft-injured right-hander Carl Pavano and a couple of touted pitching prospects in Philip Hughes and Humberto Sanchez.

Igawa visited New York last week and took a tour of Yankee Stadium. He becomes the Yankees' newest Japanese player -- they also have left fielder Hideki Matsui.

Igawa gets $4 million each year and can earn $500,000 annually in performance bonuses. He can earn $125,000 each for 180, 190, 200, 210 innings pitched. He would be eligible for arbitration after the 2011 season, and free agency after the 2012 season.

New York's biggest rival, the Boston Red Sox, bid $51.11 million for negotiating rights to Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka this offseason and signed him to a $52 million, six-year contract.

Igawa, who tied for the Central League lead in strikeouts last season after winning strikeout titles in 2002 and 2004, has said he is looking ahead to possible pitching duels with Matsuzaka, the MVP of the inaugural World Baseball Classic.