Takahiro Arai - 3B/1B - .305/.353/.603 line in 2005 is looking more and more like a career year. Hit .299/.336/.479 and .290/.351/.480 for Hiroshima the last two years. Right-handed hitter. Career 849/292 K/BB ratio in 3899 AB makes him look like the Japanese Tony Batista. That he’s just 30 means some team might be willing to take a chance on him. However, he’s likely to do better financially by staying home.

Takeo Kawamura - RHP - Age 35. Converted into a reliever in 2004 after injuries reduced his effectiveness as a starter. ERAs of 3.07, 2.31, 3.86 and 3.60 since. Allowed 55 hits, walked 23 and struck out 53 in 55 IP this year. No idea about his stuff or whether he’s interested in switching leagues.

Hiroki Kuroda - RHP - The top free-agent starter available. Kuroda went 12-8 with a 3.56 ERA, 176 H and 123/42 K/BB in 179 2/3 IP this year. He had a 1.85 ERA in 2006, but that’s the only year he’s been under 3.00. 6.7 K’s per 9 IP throughout his career. Kuroda features a legitimate low-90s fastball. Neither his slider nor his forkball/change stands out as a true strikeout pitch. From what little I’ve seen, I think he’s more of a No. 4 than a No. 3. Still, he’s coming to the U.S. and he could get paid as a No. 3.

Tomonori Maeda - OF - Hit .285/.327/.435 in 2007, his worst season in six years. Batted .319/.376/.546 in 2005 and .314/.371/.511 in 2006. One of Japan’s toolsiest players in his prime, Maeda is 36 now. He would have been an interesting pickup for an MLB team just a couple of years ago. Now he figures to finish his career in Japan.

Daisuke Miura - RHP - Long one of Japan’s most reliable starters. Debuted in 1992 at age 18. Now 34, he’s coming off a season in which he went 11-13 with a 3.06 ERA, 184 H and 159/51 K/BB in 185 1/3 IP. Best year was 2005, when he had a 2.52 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 214 2/3 IP. High-80s fastball. Less deception in his delivery than many Japanese pitchers (apparently, he had to get rid of a second hitch in his motion). There’s been no talk about him coming over to the U.S., and he probably wouldn’t fare particularly well if he did.