ATLANTA — At the Yankees’ professional scouting meetings a couple of weeks ago, team officials discussed “dozens and dozens” of free agents as they prepared for this offseason, Hal Steinbrenner said.
Among that group, the Yankees’ managing general partner divulged, was someone who isn’t quite a free agent yet: Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi.
“I saw film on [him] during the pro scouting meetings,” Steinbrenner said Wednesday at the Major League Baseball owners’ meetings. “We talked about that individual. … We’ve always been paying attention to that area of the world.