Free agent Tsuyoshi Shinjo met with officials of the Yakult Swallows on Monday to hear what the Central League club has to offer if the All-Star outfielder were to leave the Hanshin Tigers for the Tokyo team.
Neither side indicated what was discussed during the one-hour meeting at a Tokyo hotel, but the 28-year-old Shinjo indicated that he wanted to make a decision after meeting with the Yokohama BayStars on Wednesday.
"After the meeting with Yokohama, I want to think about where the environment suits me best to play baseball and then decide," said Shinjo, who batted .278 with 28 homers and 85 runs batted in this past season.
Regarding the Swallows, Shinjo said he had the impression that the players were able to enjoy baseball and play their own style there.
"They said they were interested in me because they think I am a player who is still developing," Shinjo said of the meeting. Yakult team president Itaru Taguchi said, "Shinjo told us that everything is still blank (regarding his decision), even with Hanshin.
We're on the same wavelength when it comes to the conditions for reaching a deal, but we'll have to wait until he contacts us."