The Cleveland Indians have signed 33-year old Japanese reliever Masahide Kobayashi to a 2-year deal worth $6.25M and an option for 2010 worth $3.25M. Very nice deal for GM Mark Shapiro and gang, as Masahide has 227 saves over Japan and has a very deceptive delivery, the same trait that made the Boston Red Sox sign all-star reliever Hideki Okajima. Cleveland did not have to attach a posting fee, as Kobayashi was a restricted free-agent across the sea. 2007 wasn’t a very good year for Kobayashi, but had a 2.95 ERA the last 3 seasons. (MVN.com)
