TUCSON, Ariz. -- The search for a big bat could take the Orioles overseas and lead them to Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui. It could also lead them to five-time All-Star Frank Thomas.

The Orioles have expressed interest in four of the top hitters on the free-agent market, including Cleveland Indians first baseman Jim Thome, but now they have other options.

High-ranking Orioles sources say Thomas expressed interest in signing with the Orioles yesterday, through his agent, Arn Tellem. The sources also indicated that the team is gathering information on Matsui, who hit 50 home runs last season in Japan.

Both are seen as the sort of help the Orioles need to boost an offense that scored the second-fewest runs in the American League last season, 4.1 a game.

Matsui, 28, an outfielder who bats left-handed, became a free agent yesterday after 10 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants. This year, he hit .334 and won his third Japanese Central League Most Valuable Player award.

The New York Yankees have made their interest in Matsui known for weeks, and one report has them prepared to offer him a three-year, $24 million contract. Today, Yankees president Randy Levine and general manager Brian Cashman will leave for Japan to sign a working agreement with the Yomiuri Giants.

While there, they will scout Matsui, who is playing for the Japanese All-Star team that is challenging a group of major-league stars, including San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds and Orioles pitcher Rodrigo Lopez.

The rest of baseball seems to think the Yankees have the market cornered on Matsui. "What you hear," San Francisco assistant GM Ned Colletti said, "is the Yankees are going to be very, very strong for him. And it's going to be a huge deal with many components."

But the Yankees have said they plan to trim payroll this offseason, and the pool of teams looking to sign Matsui isn't as deep as originally expected. The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers have indicated they probably won't make a strong push.

The Seattle Mariners would seem a logical choice considering they already have Japanese stars Ichiro Suzuki and Kazuhiro Sasaki, but the Mariners have no place to play Matsui. After getting center fielder Randy Winn from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as compensation for manager Lou Piniella, the Mariners have an outfield that includes Suzuki, Winn and Mike Cameron, with designated hitter Edgar Martinez also back in the fold.

Matsui, who does not have an agent, sent letters this week to all 30 teams with information on how to contact him. One reporter at the GM meetings who covers Japanese baseball said Matsui has already made his fortune and probably would be willing to sign with the right team for three years, $15 million.

"It's important to find a team where you can be comfortable," Matsui told reporters in Osaka, Japan, this week. "I'll consider all the factors before deciding on the team that provides the best environment for me."

Camden Yards, with its short porch in right field, might be that environment. In their search for a run producer, the Orioles would love another left-handed hitter, such as Thome or Boston Red Sox outfielder Cliff Floyd.

But they also have expressed interest in Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez and New York Mets third baseman Edgardo Alfonzo, both right-handed hitters.

Thomas, 34, was one of the most feared right-handed hitters in the game before his production started tailing off two years ago. He is only a year removed from triceps surgery and struggled early this season before coming on in the second half. After the All-Star Game, Thomas hit .270 with 14 home runs and 38 RBIs.

But the White Sox invoked a diminishing skills clause in Thomas' contract that will allow them to defer about half of the $40 million he has remaining in his current deal, which runs through 2006. Thomas had the right to become a conditional free agent, which means he has until Dec. 7 to negotiate with other teams.

"If I had to guess," White Sox GM Kenny Williams told The Chicago Tribune last month, "I'd guess Frank Thomas would be back with us."

But for now, Tellem is going to find out who else is interested.