The Yokohama BayStars put Bobby Rose on their reserve list Monday with an eye on signing a new deal with the infielder, who has drawn interest from some clubs despite his intention to retire from baseball.
"We're not preventing him from signing for another Central League club. We're just trying to get a new deal and we don't mind if talks drag on until late in the transfer period to next June," Hiroshi Sasakawa, head of the BayStars team operations, said.
The Hanshin Tigers are reportedly among the clubs eager to sign the 1999 CL batting champion after Rose announced his decision six weeks ago to retire over a contract dispute with the BayStars front office.