Geographically, Ishii Is Closer to Dodgers

Japanese pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii flew from Tokyo to Los Angeles on Tuesday to meet with his agent, Joe Urbon, who flew from New York to Los Angeles, an indication that Ishii may be eager to complete a deal with the Dodgers as Friday’s 9 p.m. PST deadline for an agreement looms.

Urbon said he would fly to Los Angeles only if he felt he was making significant progress in negotiations, and the sides were still millions apart on a three-year deal as of Monday. “I just don’t see a reason to come out there,” Urbon said Monday night.

But after Urbon and Ishii spoke by telephone Monday night, Ishii apparently took the initiative to travel to the U.S. Urbon informed Dodger General Manager Dan Evans on Tuesday afternoon of his plans to fly to Los Angeles and meet with Ishii on Tuesday night.

As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, Evans had not heard from Urbon. Several attempts to reach Urbon were unsuccessful. The Dodgers have offered Ishii a deal worth more than $8 million, but Urbon is seeking a deal that would guarantee Ishii $17 million.

The Dodgers won Ishii’s negotiating rights by posting an $11.26-million bid with the Yakult Swallows, Ishii’s Japanese team, but they will lose those rights unless they sign Ishii by Friday. The Dodgers won’t have to pay Yakult the $11.26 million if they don’t secure the 28-year-old left-hander, who went 12-5 with a 3.40 earned-run average for Yakult last season.

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The Dodgers claimed hard-throwing right-hander Craig House off waivers from the New York Mets and put him on the 40-man roster. House, 24, went 2-2 with a 4.45 ERA and six saves in 54 games for triple-A Colorado Springs last season before being traded from the Colorado Rockies to the Mets on Jan. 21.