BOSTON (AP) — Right-hander Shunsuke Watanabe has agreed to a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox.
Boston says he will report to minor league spring training as a reliever.
The two-time All-Star in Japan is a submarine-style pitcher with a 87-82 record and a 3.65 ERA. He spent 13 years with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Pacific League and pitched on Japan’s World Baseball Classic championship teams in 2006 and 2009.
Also Tuesday, the Red Sox agreed to release righty Chris Carpenter to the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Central League in exchange for cash. Carpenter was the compensation for general manager Theo Epstein when he left for the Chicago Cubs after the 2011 season.
