OSAKA -- Free-agent So Taguchi, regarded as one of the finest-fielding outfielders in Japanese baseball, turned down an offer from the Hanshin Tigers on Wednesday and opted to join the St. Louis Cardinals.
Taguchi, who met with Hanshin manager Senichi Hoshino upon his return from the United States earlier in the day, said he made up his mind on Tuesday evening after narrowing down his choices to St. Louis and Hanshin.
"I had very good offers from all the teams involved and Hanshin evaluated me better than any other clubs. Mr. Hoshino said to me 'Let's keep a good relationship,' " Taguchi said.
He will be the third Japanese position player in the majors, following in the footsteps of Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki and San Francisco Giants outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo, who was traded by the New York Mets in December.
Taguchi, a 32-year-old Hyogo native, spent a month in the United States after becoming a free agent in November and reportedly drew interest from the Cardinals, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers, as well as Hanshin and the Orix BlueWave.
He revealed earlier this week that he had informed Orix of his intention not to re-sign with the Pacific League club, where he spent the last 10 years.