Report: Okajima Wants To Stay With Sox

Posted by Adam Hart October 23, 2009 at 8:52 am

A mainstay in Boston’s bullpen for the past three seasons, Hideki Okajima has reportedly made a move to facilitate his re-signing with the Red Sox.

Okajima has switched to Boston-based agent Joe Rosen after experiencing difficulty with former agent Peter Greenburg, according to NPBTracker.com.

“The agent and I were not on the same page regarding contracts,” Okajima told a Japanese news agency, according to Ryo Shinkawa’s translation on NPBTracker.com. “There was no specific communication done and I struggled to understand.”

The report included a quote from Okajima in which he said that signing with Rosen would enable him to better involve himself with the Boston community. Aside from minor league and basketball players, Angels outfielder Chris Pettit is the only other Major League Baseball player represented by Rosen’s Orpheus LLC.

Okajima’s ERA has increased each of his three years in Boston — 2.22, 2.61, 3.39. Still, he has been a trusted arm for Terry Francona out of the bullpen, making at least 23 holds per season. He made $1.75 million in 2009 as a club option.