Right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma failed Friday to get the green light on a trade from the Orix Buffaloes after the fourth round of talks with the Pacific League team created through the merger between the Orix BlueWave and Kintetsu Buffaloes.
Orix Buffaloes hurler Hisashi Iwakuma expresses his frustration
at a press conference after failing to reach an agreement on his release from
the team.
Iwakuma, who does not want to play for the merged team, has been adamant in his request to be traded in a cash deal to the newly formed Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles but has been unable to convince Orix club president Takashi Koizumi to let him leave.
Koizumi, however, is hell-bent on keeping the 23-year-old and has left no room for compromise.