Japanese shortstop could be free agent option for D'backs

The Arizona Diamondbacks will enter the winter meetings assaying their options on additions to the rotation, the left side of the infield and the bench. General manager Kevin Towers has a resume bulging with winter-meetings deals, but that does not mean he expects to be overly active in Nashville. "You have to wheel and deal for the right guys," Towers said. One possible option for the left side appears to be Seibu Lions shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima, who is a free agent this winter. The D-backs gave Nakajima, 30, a tour of their Chase Field facilities the day before Thanksgiving, a visit that may have simply been an information-gathering session for each side. The player and the team were not believed to have held contract talks. The D-backs got a look at Nakajima during their tour of Japan in early August last year, a trip that included president/CEO Derrick Hall, Towers, special assistant Bob Gebhard and director of Pacific Rim operations Mack Hayashi. The New York ...