TOWER GROVE — A year ago, the handful of available Japanese free agents — the most coveted of whom turned out to be outfielder Kosuke Fukudome — reinforced the notion that the St. Louis Cardinals needed to expand and improve their ability to scout the other side of the Pacific Rim. With a few hires geared specifically to enhance their ability to evaluate and sign Japanese free agents, the Cardinals have in the past 12 months developed their  “increased presence” in Japan, as GM John Mozeliak said.

A mere mention in the rumors around a Japanese pitcher confirms that.

What to make then of this weekend’s report in The Japan Times that the Cardinals, Baltimore and Minnesota were the narrowed-down list of three teams interested in Kenshin Kawakami, a righthander looking to make the leap over to the majors for 2009? That report itself attributes the information to another report, from Chunichi Sports. I poked around this morning and it appears the reports misrepresent the situation. That is certainly the case from the Cardinals’ point of view. Kawakami’s representatives have narrowed their focus to a batch of teams, but the list is not down to just three clubs. More remain involved. His agent Dan Evans declined to discuss such specifics or specific teams when contacted this afternoon, save to say that Kawakami has drawn interest from several teams that the righthander is also interested in.

The Cardinals expressed interest during a meeting in Las Vegas, according a report first in The Post-Dispatch. While they have kept in touch with Kawakami, there’s been no ramping up of their pursuit. Several sources indicated as much today. Kawakami, like any of the other free agents the Cardinals have contacted, appears to fall into the Cardinals’ recently adopted “wait-and-see” approach.

Also: David O’Brien at the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the Braves are still in the mix for the righthander, and the Minnesota Star-Tribune reports that the Twins’ reaction to the report was similar to the Cardinals’ – that it was “a little strong.”

Colleague Joe Strauss first reported the connection, writing from the meetings in Las Vegas that the Cardinals met with Kawakami’s agent and wanted to keep a horse in the race, so to speak. As part of their expanded approach to evaluating Asia’s pro leagues, the Cardinals did scout Kawakami several times and were better educated this year when it came to such discussions. A handful to a dozen of other teams also met with the agent in Vegas. Yahoo! Sports had an updated report late Monday, stating that Kawakami is “drawing solid interest” from the Cardinals and four other teams. The Cardinals wanted to be in a better position to evaluate and pursue players like Kawakami, and that is the real subplot here.

So with all of the reports and counter-reports out there, it’s probably time for some context. Meet Kawakami.

The 33-year-old righthander is 112-72 with a 3.22 ERA in 11 seasons with the Chunichi Dragons (statistics here). He has twice won 17 games, has two seasons with at least 190 innings pitched and in 2006 had by all statistical indications a career year: 17-7, 2.51 ERA, 215 innings and 194 strikeouts.  An article on the Daily Yomiuri Online gives a detailed account and discussion of the comparison between Kawakami and righthander Hiroki Kuroda, who went 9-10 with a 3.73 ERA in 31 starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008.

Kawakami has plenty of decorations beyond the stastics: victory and strikeout titles, an MVP, coveted monthly awards and a no-hitter. Various places describe him as an aggressive pitcher with a beguiling curve and cut fastball to complement his 90-mph fastball.

Well, see for yourself:

As for the swirling rumors and reports of Kawakami’s destination, NPB Tracker has kept a detailed log, including translated tidbits from Japanese sources. (That’s also the place where it’s reported that pitcher John Wasdin, who spent last season with Triple-A Memphis, is headed back to Japan.)

The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly pursuing the righthander, though not with the “final offer” approach reported and then refuted. Columnist Peter Schmuck, in his refute report, makes the point that the Orioles may see Kawakami as a bridge signing, meaning a signing that makes the Orioles appealing “as a possible destination for future players coming out of Japan.”

UPDATE: The Baltimore Sun reported Wednesday morning that the Orioles have signed Koji Uehara, the other Japanese pitcher along with Kawakami that had been taking free-agent offers this winter. According to that report, Uehara, also a righthander, signed a two-year, $10-million deal laced with incentives that could max out at a total value of $16 million.

At other times, the San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee have been rumored to be involved in the derby, and within minutes of a report that the Red Sox had made a three-year, $21-million offer to Kawakami the Boston Globe posted a story that said: not so fast. Report. Refute. Rinse. Repeat.

That price reported, while dismissed in that case, would probably be a turn-off.

But at least the Cardinals believe they are in a position this year to know that.

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