BASEBALL

The Dodgers were on the verge of a deal to sign Kazuhisa Ishii after a daylong negotiating session that broke the stalemate between the team and the highly touted Japanese left-hander.

The Dodgers bumped their three-year, $8-million offer up to four years and more than $12 million, and agent Joe Urbon came off his demands for a package that would guarantee Ishii at least $17 million.

Urbon, Dodger General Manager Dan Evans and assistant GM Kim Ng worked late into Wednesday evening in an attempt to resolve several contractual issues, including how an option year and a no-trade clause would be structured and the amount of the contract that would be deferred.

Ishii, who traveled from Tokyo to Los Angeles Tuesday, will undergo an extensive physical exam today, and Urbon and Dodger executives will attempt to hammer out the final details of the contract. Barring any problems with the medical tests, Ishii would be ready to sign a contract in time to beat a Friday 9 p.m. deadline to come to terms with the Dodgers.

“There is one major issue and one minor issue that need to be resolved,” Urbon said, “but we’re close to a deal.”

If a deal is consummated, the Dodgers will pay the Yakult Swallows $11.26 million.