In case you missed it today, Joe C had an interesting read on Japanese pitchers on the market -- and the Twins' potential interest in them. The one they appear most keen on is Hisashi Iwakuma. Per Joe:
The Twins are trying to bolster their starting rotation, so an Iwakuma signing seems logical, but he missed most of June and July because of a sore right shoulder and his velocity was down after he returned. He finished 6-7 with a 2.42 ERA, recording 90 strikeouts for Rakuten, with 19 walks in 119 innings.
Injured ... velocity down ... low walk rate ... draw your own conclusion.
Also, SI.com's Tom Verducci took a broader look at the lack of success historically for Japanese pitchers making the jump to MLB and what that might mean for the next wave.
If you're curious about Iwakuma in action, here is a video. He's in about the first 75 seconds of it:
