Baseball America is reporting that the Cubs have re-signed INF Munenori Kawasaki to a 2017 minor league contract. He will almost certainly receive a NRI to Spring Training.
Now 35, Kawasaki spent 11 seasons in NPB (the Japanese major league) with the Fukuoaka SoftBank Hawks, and was a member of Team Japan in the WBC in 2006 and 2009, hitting 294/345/378 with 267 SB in 1,145 NPB games. He was an eight-time NPB All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner, and he led the NPB in stolen bases once. He became a fee-agent after the 2011 season, and was signed by the Seattle Mariners in December 2011.