Good news for Balentien from Tokyo

Good news for Wladimir Balentien from Tokyo. Even though the Yakult Swallows stated that they were not quite happy with his defense the team has made him a new contract offer.

At the end of the season the Swallows said that Coco’s high salary was a limitation and that they would consider to sign him if he would take a salary cut.

In a season in which the Swallows did not contend and finished fifth in the Central League, Balentien hit 31 homeruns and drove in 96 runs with a .269 batting average.

The article at yahoo.co.jp does not talk about the number of years, only about a slight raise of salary even though that is an estimation. Balentien’s salary would rise from an annual $3.6 million to $4.0 million.

Recently, the slugger from Curacao confirmed that will play with team Kingdom of the Netherlands in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

Next to trying to bring Balentien back, the Swallows are trying to bolster their roster with the acquisition of Dean Green and a pitcher.

If Balentien agrees to sign this new deal, he doesn’t have to deal with uncertainty any longer; at least for a year.