Two of Japan's top pitchers made news early in the new year for very different contract issues.
In Sapporo, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters reached a ¥500 million deal with Yu Darvish, making him the highest paid player in Japanese baseball. Meanwhile, in Saitama, the Seibu Lions and Hideaki Wakui are at a standstill in their negotiations.
Wakui and the Lions are so far apart, manager Hisanobu Watanabe publicly expressed concerns over what effect Darvish's deal may have on Wakui.