Japanese star Ichiro Suzuki is finalizing terms of a new two-year Major League Baseball contract with the New York Yankees, according to a story on the team’s website.
Suzuki, obtained from the Seattle Mariners last July, is looking at a deal worth between $12 million and $13 million and terms could be settled as early as next Friday.
The 39-year-old outfielder hit .322 with five home runs, 14 stolen bases and 27 runs batted in over 67 games with New York, which lost to Detroit in the American League championship series.
Suzuki batted .283 with nine homers, 55 RBIs and 29 stolen bases in 162 games for all of last season, but his 178 hits were the fewest in any major league season for the Japanese star.
The Yankees reportedly have to content with interest in Suzuki from the reigning World Series champion San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia.
If the Yankees complete a deal for Suzuki, who has 2,606 hits since arriving from Japan in 2001, he could join Derek Jeter in reaching the 3,000 career hit plateau as a Yankee.
Alex Rodriguez will enter the 2013 season only 99 hits from that mark, but the third baseman will miss the start of next season after hip surgery.
Ichiro in late stages of Yankee contract talks
