Yomiuri Giants veteran lefty Kimiyasu Kudo re-signed with the Central League club on Monday for an unchanged estimated 290 million yen in annual salary.
Kudo posted an 11-9 record this past season for the most wins by a player over 42 years old. He became the second pitcher over 40, following right-hander Tadashi Wakabayashi, to record double-digit wins two years in a row.
Kudo, who will turn 43 next May, has compiled 212 career wins in Japanese pro baseball and said he still envisions playing in the major leagues in the future.
Elsewhere, Yokohama BayStars infielder Takuro Ishii took a 75 million yen pay cut and re-signed on a one-year deal for an estimated 175 million yen, plus performance based incentives.
Yokohama outfielder Takanori Suzuki, who will enter the final year of a four-year contract next season, will get the same yearly salary of 220 million yen, plus bonuses.
Ishii batted just .255 in the regular season and was left 39 hits shy of recording his 2,000th career hit.
Meanwhile, Hanshin Tigers right-hander Yuya Ando got a 35 million yen pay increase for an annual salary of 81 million yen.
Ando switched to the starting rotation this past season and went 11-5 with a 3.39 ERA in 24 games to help lead the Tigers to the championship title in the Central League.
Also, the Orix Buffaloes acquired right-hander Tom Davey, who was left out of the Hiroshima Carp's plans for next season. He has a 14-12 record with one save in 42 games over three years in Japan.
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