New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox Tickets

Yankees News:

The Yankees are expected to officially welcome Andy Pettitte back to the Bronx later this week, but he may not be the only left-hander to put on his new pinstripes.

A report in Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun said Kei Igawa, the left-hander whose negotiating rights were won by the Yankees with a posting bid of more than $26 million, had agreed to a five-year, $20 million deal with New York.

The newspaper reports the deal also includes incentives, though the story did not specify what those were.

Igawa will join Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano as starters on the Yankees, with Igawa and Pavano likely to battle for the fifth spot in the rotation. Johnson is recovering from back surgery, so both pitchers could open the year in the rotation if the Big Unit isn't ready by Opening Day.

Pettitte is expected to arrive in New York on Tuesday or Wednesday for his physical, with a press conference at Yankee Stadium likely to take place on Thursday. The Yankees signed Pettitte to a one-year deal worth $16 million, with a player option for 2008 worth another $16 million.

Igawa had a record of 86-60 and a 3.15 ERA in eight seasons with the Hanshin Tigers in the Central League. He won the league's MVP award in 2003, posting a 20-5 record and 2.80 ERA in 29 starts.

Igawa, who features a 90-mph fastball and an above-average curveball, went 14-9 with a 2.97 ERA last season, striking out 194 batters to tie for the league lead. It was the third time he won the Central League's strikeout title, also doing so in 2002 and 2004.

The Yankees won Igawa's negotiating rights on Nov. 28, outbidding several other teams, including the Mets. New York and Arn Tellem, who represents Igawa, had until midnight ET on Dec. 28 to come to an agreement, or Igawa would have been returned to Hanshin.

Red Sox News:

Not content to take a day off after the splashy acquisition of Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein filled out some complementary roles in the bullpen on Friday, adding two veteran setup men with postseason experience.

The first addition came via a trade, as Epstein dealt left-handed prospect Phil Seibel to the Angels for right-hander Brendan Donnelly. A couple of hours later, Boston announced the signing of free-agent lefty J.C. Romero.

The bullpen is basically the only area of the 2007 Red Sox that remains a work in progress, but both Donnelly and Romero make the team thicker in that regard. The big void that still remains is the closer's role.

"It's really too early to start assigning exact roles, other than to say that the guys who pitch the best are definitely going to have the most important roles," Epstein said. "Certainly we're going to find a closer, whether it's internal or external, before we break [camp]. As far as Donnelly and Romero go, we think both guys have a lot of talent, both guys were available at relatively low acquisition costs and both guys go a long way toward building a lot of quality depth in our bullpen."

Donnelly and Romero join a setup crew that includes veterans Mike Timlin and Julian Tavarez, and young guns Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen. Left-handed reliever Hideki Okajima was also signed as a free agent earlier this month. Swingman Kyle Snyder will also be in the mix for a job, along with Bryan Corey.

Until Friday, the 35-year-old Donnelly had spent his entire career with the Angels, breaking in with the World Series championship team in 2002. Donnelly was a big cog in Angels manager Mike Scioscia's loaded bullpen that year, posing a 2.16 ERA in 46 games.

Last year, Donnelly went 6-0 with a 3.94 ERA over 62 games. In his career, Donnelly is 23-8 with a 2.87 ERA. In 295 innings, he has the exact same amount of strikeouts.

"I think Donnelly can be very interesting piece of the puzzle in our bullpen," Epstein said. "He's someone who prefers to pitch in important situations, prefers to pitch later in the game. He always wants the ball. He's got a very tough, competitive makeup, which we think will be a very good fit for our situation."

With a loaded bullpen that includes Francisco Rodriguez, Scot Shields and new acquisition Justin Speier, the Angels felt they could part with Donnelly in hopes that Seibel will develop into a talent at the Major League level.