Is there a harder working writer out there at the moment than Tim Dierkes? Seriously the guy is digging deep and it's only the General Manager meetings, wait until the Winter Meetings. Anyhow tonight he brings us a new Rocco suitor and more info on the one known as Fukumori:
From the Nats official site it mentions Jim Bowden likes Rocco Baldelli as a trade possibility. Not too many matches outside of Rauch and Cordero -- can't see the Nationals giving them up.
Kazuo Fukumori - Might have emerged as a top-flight closer on a better team, but best years may have been wasted playing for expansion Rakuten Golden Eagles. Still, saved 21 games and was an All-Star in '06. ERA jumped nearly two runs in 2007, but still saved 17 and maintained a strikeout per inning ratio. Has a formidable slider that tails toward right handed batters. Could emerge as a nice sleeper considering the number of solid closers possibly headed to the U.S. Tampa Bay has been mentioned as being in hot pursuit. [Note: the Red Sox may be in on him as well.]
Hmm...a closer on a bad expansion team, he'll fit right in. A quick search for a new picture resulted in this summary, that includes Ryan Howard jacking a homerun off of Fukumori and him generally getting roughed up in 1.1 innings of work.