The Seattle Mariners will not be involved in the bidding process for hard-throwing pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, according to a report posted Wednesday on the major-league club's official Web site.
A dozen or so teams are reportedly interested in signing Matsuzaka, who has been given the green light to pursue a career in the majors by the Seibu Lions via the so-called posting system.
But the report said Seattle general manager Bill Bavasi confirmed Wednesday that the team's owner, Hiroshi Yamauchi, has opted against pursuing the 26-year-old right-hander.
"A decision has been made by Mr. Yamauchi that we will not be participating in the bidding process, and it's a decision that our baseball department concurs with," Bavasi said.
The report said the main factor that could have steered the Mariners' interest away from making a bid for Matsuzaka is the anticipated asking price just to win the rights to negotiate with him.
It is believed the highest bid for Matsuzaka, could be over $30 million (about 3.5 billion yen). He could command an annual salary in the neighborhood of $10 million.
Under the posting system, major-league teams submit bids for the rights to negotiate a deal with non-free agent Japanese players.
After Seibu rejected his demand for an opportunity to sign up with a major-league team after the 2005 season, Matsuzaka had a career-high 17 wins this year.