The Dodgers are close to signing right-hander Chin-hui Tsao, who has not played professional baseball since the Taiwanese league expelled him five years ago amid allegations of game-fixing.

The Dodgers are expected to sign Tsao to a minor league contract. It is not clear whether he would get an invitation to the major league spring training camp.

The Dodgers also are expected to announce the signing of left-hander Brett Anderson early next week, perhaps as soon as Monday. The team reached agreement on a one-year, $10-million contract with Anderson earlier this month, pending a physical examination and consultation among medical specialists.

Tsao, 33, appeared in 21 games as a reliever for the Dodgers in 2007. He previously played for the Colorado Rockies, becoming the first Taiwanese pitcher in Major League Baseball.


He signed with the Kansas City Royals in 2008, but he did not make the major league roster. In 2009, he played for the Brother Elephants of the Taiwan’s CPBL (Chinese Professional Baseball League).

The CPBL banned him after an investigation into game-fixing, according to reports, but he never was charged with any offenses. The Dodgers are believed to have gotten clearance from the MLB commissioner’s office to pursue Tsao.

In November, with Tsao reportedly hitting 95 mph as he launched a comeback, he signed with the Adelaide Bite of the Australian Baseball League. He traveled to Australia but, under pressure from the CPBL, the ABL refused to allow him to play.