The club has been negotiating recently with the 22-year-old, who, according to multiple reports out of Japan, has rejected competing offers from the Texas Rangers , Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians in order to sign here.

Another name from Japan could be popping up on the hot stove radar of the Red Sox and other teams soon: 33-year-old right-handed starting pitcher Kenjin Kawakami. The Sox have scouted him multiple times and the veteran has expressed interest in playing here. Several teams are expected to be involved in the bidding for Kawakami.

The Red Sox plan to offer arbitration to two of their free agents, catcher Jason Varitek and starter Paul Byrd, before tonight's midnight deadline.

Varitek's offer has been expected, since the catcher is the team's only Type-A free agent. If Varitek rejects the offer, as expected, and signs elsewhere, the club would get two additional draft picks next June.

Byrd is a Type-B free agent. His signing elsewhere would mean the Sox would gain a sandwich pick in the 2009 draft. It would not be unheard of for the sides to have a gentlemen's agreement that Byrd would reject the arbitration offer.

None of the club's other free agents - infielder Alex Cora, catcher David Ross, reliever Mike Timlin, first baseman Sean Casey, outfielder Mark Kotsay and pitcher Curt Schilling - ranked high enough to merit a draft pick for the Sox if they sign elsewhere.

Read the Clubhouse Insider at bostonherald.com.