Former Indians pitcher Tadano agrees to join Nippon Ham

TOKYO, Dec. 20 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Former Cleveland Indians right-hander Kazuhito Tadano agreed on a deal with the Nippon Ham Fighters on Thursday after the club picked him in the first round of Japanese baseball's amateur draft this past fall.
The 27-year-old Tadano, who had a 1-1 record with a 4.47 ERA in 15 games, including four starts, for the Indians in 2004-2005, will receive an annual salary of an estimated 30 million yen with a signing bonus of 60 million yen.
Tadano played in North America the past five seasons, mostly in the minor leagues, after he earned 20 wins in the Tokyo Big Six League for Rikkyo University but was overlooked in the 2002 Japanese baseball draft because of a shoulder injury.