Brad Penny to pick new team soon

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Former major league right-hander Brad Penny has been released from his contract with Softbank Hawks of Japan's Pacific League, the team announced on Tuesday.

Penny has offers to pitch both as a starter and a reliever in the major leagues and expects to make a decision soon on where he will sign, a baseball source told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

The Hawks cut Penny after he had made just one start, granting Penny's request to be released. Penny reportedly had a hard time adjusting to living and playing in Japan, according to the Asahi Shimbun, a newspaper in Japan.

Penny reportedly suffered a shoulder injury after his only start and had been sidelined for the last month.

"It is unfortunate," Koji Akiyama, the Hawks' manager, told Nikkan Sports. "But part of it is his feelings and then there is also his shoulder. It cannot be helped."

Penny went 11-11 last season for the Detroit Tigers with a 5.30 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 31 games.

He has a 119-99 record and a 4.23 ERA in a 12-year major league career that includes stints with the Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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