Rumors abound that the bidding price for Kosuke Fukudome has reached $15 Million, with the Cubs and White Sox front runners in the sweepstakes to acquire the Chunichi Dragons star outfielder. Carol Slezak of the Chicago Sun-Times recently interviewed ESPN Analyst Orestes Destrade, who had this to say about Fukudome:

Fukudome will play an exceptional outfield, and he can produce offensively at the major-league level. He also has very good speed. He could steal 25-30 bases and be disruptive on the base paths. And he’ll score a lot of runs.

However, the Sox and Cubs have, er, stiff competition from the Tokyo Giants, with Fukudome declaring:

”Since I was little I’ve dreamed about the Giants,” Fukudome said after meeting with that franchise Wednesday in Tokyo. ”I felt their passion [for me].”

During Fukudome’s nine seasons with the Chunichi Dragons. He has won two batting titles, has twice hit over .340, and has a .305 lifetime batting average. In 2006, he hit .351, with 31 home runs and 104 RBI.  Destrade noted:

He’s a little like Hideki Matsui, a left-handed [hitting] guy with pop…he could hit 20 home runs and get some timely RBI. He also reminds me of [Tampa Bay Rays] third baseman Akinori Iwamura, because he’s a very engaging player who is exciting and fun to watch.

Skeptics wonder aloud if 15-million a year is too steep a price to pay for a player with no MLB experience who is recently coming off elbow surgery, and 20 home runs seems like an exaggerated projection that might not take into account the usually significant decline in power numbers Japanese hitters experience upon entering the majors in their initial seasons.

Fukudome’s suitors, however,  seem enchanted by the prospects of a five-tool, left-handed hitting outfielder with a gun and high on-base percentage.   Raul Ibanez’ name has been bandied about as another option for the Cubs in the outfield should Kosuke feel Yomiuri’s passion instead.