OSAKA -- Newly acquired right-hander Marc Valdes was formally signed on by the Hanshin Tigers to a one-year deal worth $300,000 for the 2002 season on Monday. The Central League club also gave the Atlanta Braves pitcher a $300,000 signing bonus along with performance incentives for the upcoming season.
The 30-year-old Valdes, who will likely be used as the Hanshin closer, was given a tour of the Tigers' home field of Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, and remarked that it reminded him of Wrigley Field in Chicago.
"It's really big and it's a beautiful ballpark. I can feel the tradition here," he said.