Orix's hot stove is heating up. Sponichi reports that the to-be-rebranded Buffaloes have begun negotiating with Detroit pitcher Alfredo Figaro. Figaro seems like he would be a good pick-up for Kansai's second team, as Marc Hulet of FanGraphs graded him as Detroit's ninth-best prospect going into the 2010 season, saying that "got more than enough to offer in the back end of the rotation as a fourth starter." Back in 2009, Harry Pavilidis of the Hardball Times pointed out that he had the second best whiff-rate among that seasons rookie pitchers.
The same Sponichi report also says that Orix is near an agreement with Mike Hessman.
The bigger news is that Orix has agreed to a multi-player trade that would send lefty starter Shogo Yamamoto to Yokohama in return for pitcher Hayato Terahara. We'll have to wait and see who the other players involved are, but based on what's been announced so far, this is a big win for Orix. Terahara is injury-prone but has been the most talented pitcher on Yokohama's staff over the last few seasons. The BayStars made an inspired move to get him from Softbank a few years ago, so it comes as surprise they'd move him along for a guy like Yamamoto. Let's hope there's more to this trade than meets the eye.
