Orange County Register

Sure there’s CC Sabathia and Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett. But there is another free agent the Angels might consider in filling out their pitching staff this winter — Koji Uehara.

Uehara, 33, is a Japanese free agent who went 112-62 with a 3.01 ERA for the Yomiuri Giants over the past 10 seasons and was a member of the winning team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.

He announced his free agency and declared his intention to make the jump to the major leagues earlier this week.

There is some question about how much mileage Uehara has left on his arm after a subpar season that saw him struggle with hamstring problems, get demoted to the minors for two months and then pitch out of the bullpen.

But he does have some history with the Angels.

They offered him $3 million to sign with them in 1998. He rejected the offer, signed with the Yomiuri Giants instead and went 20-4 with 179 strikeouts and a 2.04 ERA in a Rookie of the Year-winning season in 1999.

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