MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 17: Yusei Kikuchi pitcher for the Aces in action during the Australian Baseball League match between the Melbourne Aces and the Brisbane Bandits at Melbourne Showgrounds on November 17, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images)
While the Yankees are preoccupied with this winter’s crop of starting pitchers on the free agent market, owner Hal Steinbrenner recently disclosed that the franchise has also been keeping tabs on a left-hander overseas.
According to multiple reports, the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league are expected to post 27-year-old southpaw Yusei Kikuchi, which would make him eligible to negotiate a contract with any major league club this offseason.