Arn Tellem, the agent for Hideki Matsui, said Tuesday he is "honored" to be chosen by the Japanese free agent slugger and set to visit Japan to meet with him and his family.
"I am very gratified and honored to have been selected. I plan on meeting with Hideki, his family and representatives very soon. Until such time I cannot comment any further," Tellem said in a statement through sports-marketing firm SFX Sports Group.
Matsui, the three-time Central League MVP who announced his intention to ply his trade in the major leagues a month ago, said Tuesday in Tokyo that he has reached a basic agreement with Tellem to serve as his agent for upcoming negotiations.
Tellem, executive vice president of SFX Baseball Group, has New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi, Oakland Athletics pitcher Barry Zito and Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra among his clients.