Baseball's Iwakuma to get US chance at last

With attention focused on Yu Darvish's possible move to the Texas Rangers, the Seattle Mariners quietly inked hurler Hisashi Iwakuma to a one-year deal this week. Iwakuma, one of the top pitchers in Japan over the past decade, will compete for a spot in the starting rotation when Major League Baseball spring training opens in February, the Mariners said in a statement. The 30-year-old said in a conference call with reporters that he's delighted to land in the major leagues at last after negotiations with the Oakland Athletics fell apart prior to last season. "Seattle really wanted to get me," Iwakuma said. "That was the most important thing." Iwakuma agreed to a $1.5 million deal with another $3.4 million possible in incentives. Although Iwakuma battled shoulder trouble last season and has lost some velocity on his fastball, his low walk rate was another attraction for the Mariners. While Iwakuma is poised to get his US chance, the Yankees announced this week that they failed to come to terms with Seibu Lions infielder Hiroyuki Nakajima, whose exclusive negotiating rights they won in December through the posting process. "We unfortunately could not come to an agreement with Hiroyuki," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said in a statement. "We wish him the best of luck during the upcoming 2012 season." Nakajima will return to the Lions for next season. The biggest name up for grabs this month through the posting process is Darvish, who has already made a get-acquainted trip to see the Texas Rangers facilities and meet team personnel. The Rangers, the two-time defending American League champions, bid more than $51 million last month just for the exclusive right to negotiate with Darvish, who went 18-6 last season for the Hokkaido-based Nippon Ham Fighters with a 1.44 earned-run average and 276 strikeouts in 232 innings. The Rangers have until January 18 to sign him, otherwise Darvish will return to the Fighters.