The Yakult Swallows will launch a bid to regain the services of left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii, who was cut by the New York Mets last month, club president Yoshikazu Tagiku said Monday.
Tagiku said he plans to have new player-manager and former battery mate Atsuya Furuta hold talks with Ishii, who has voiced his intention to look for a deal with a team either in the major leagues or Japan if it assures him a spot in the starting rotation.
"We're ready to open talks with Ishii. I'll leave it up to Furuta," Tagiku said.
The Mets said on Nov. 15 that they did not exercise the option on Ishii for the next season, making the 32-year-old a free agent.
Ishii has a 39-34 career record with a 4.44 ERA in four major league seasons, three with the Los Angeles Dodgers and one with the Mets.
He won 14 games in 2002 and 13 games in 2004.