Talks off between Iwakuma and A's: report

Contract negotiations between Japanese star pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma and Major League Baseball's Oakland A's have been halted, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Sunday.

Citing unnamed sources, the newspaper reported on its website that the talks were stalled and just shy of being finished, even though the A's have until December 7 to make a deal for the 29-year-old right-hander.

Iwakuma seeks a deal worth in the range of 18 million dollars a season while the A's were through to be wanting to pay between three million and five million dollars a season.

One source told the Chronicle that Iwakuma was expected to announce he would return to the Rakuten Golden Eagles.

The A's spent a posting fee of about 16 million dollars for the rights to negotiate a deal with Iwakuma, money the US club would have returned if no deal is struck with the Asian ace.

Oakland was also thought to want Iwakuma because he might make the A's a more likely place for Japanese free agent Hideki Matsui to sign.

Source : http://sport.id.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4474485