There is currently a limit of three foreign players per team. Longtime Tokyo-based sports journalist Marty Kuehnert wrote a critical piece about Nagashima's remarks, in which he despaired at the cultural differences still separating the two countries. But here, nobody uttered a peep. It might be noted that most North Americans, for their part, still tend to view Japan as little more than a glorified minor league. That is good for Japanese baseball because someday they will come back and raise the level of the sport.
Japanese baseball is like Japanese politics.
One is dominated by the Giants, the other by the ldp. It will take time to liberate them. In the meantime, the hemorrhaging will continue. Had Matsui signed, it would have been the most lucrative deal in the history of Japanese baseball. His refusal shocked team officials and fueled speculation that the superstar outfielder, who becomes eligible for free agency at the end of next season, might be contemplating his own move abroad.