Japanese 18-year-old pitcher met with 20 MLB teams

Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, an 18-year-old from Japan, has met with representatives from the Mariners, seven Major League organizations and 12 of Japan's big league clubs over the past four days. "Both leagues are appealing to me," he said at a press conference in Japan on Tuesday after talking with the Mariners, Mets, Yankees and Indians. "If possible, I want to play for both leagues," Kikuchi added. "It has gotten more difficult for me to make a decision." Kikuchi also met with the Dodgers, Red Sox, Rangers and Giants.

"I don't think we can make a decision in a day or two. But we'd like to decide by early next week, after consulting with his parents. Some Japanese clubs say they would even consider having Kikuchi in the rotation immediately, while Major League teams plan to train him in a development program before promoting him to the big leagues." Said Hanamaki Higashi High School manager Hiroshi Sasaki, who accompanied Kikuchi throughout the interview.