upwards of $17 million a season? wtf. and maybe i'm the only one but i love baseball and love my Dodgers. just feel like its going to be a little hollow to win a WS with any player we want purchased at the highest price.
fwiw... Masahiro Tanaka and the teams that need him...Or could really, really use him, at leastBy Grant Brisbee | SB Nation -- December 27, 2013Over the holidays, the Rakuten Golden Eagles decided to troll Major League Baseball teams.If you're going to hose us on the new posting-fee cap, at least we can make a bunch of front-office dorks hang out in the backyards of their in-laws, pacing, shivering, and yelling things into a cell phone.The news that Masahiro Tanaka was going to be posted came in late on Christmas Eve. That's amusing and probably coincidental. I'd like to think there was some spite behind it, though. It's the poet and/or jerk in me.After a long, stagnant offseason for pitchers, the biggest prize is officially on the market. Tanaka will be a major-league pitcher next year. He will be well-compensated. The last time we checked in with Tanaka, the rules were still undecided, and it seemed quite possible he would stay with the Golden Eagles. But if he were the subject of a bidding war, I surmised the Dodgers were the favorites for his services, followed by the Dodgers and the Dodgers. The Yankees were next, and there was a huge gap between them and the next team.That hasn't changed. The Dodgers' offseason plan, it seems from afar, has been to wait for Tanaka. They didn't want to gut the minors for David Price, even if they were willing to do so. They preferred to out-rich the other rich teams. Which they're going to do now. The Yankees were going to be the only competition, but that was when it seemed like it would take an $80 million posting fee that wouldn't count toward the luxury-tax threshold. Now a big salary would ding the Yankees, and they don't seem too interested in that.Nope, it's the Dodgers. Think of a time they wanted a player under the new ownership and didn't get him. Eventually it will happen. Let's wait for the first time to predict the next time. It's as obvious as Tim Lincecum going to the Seattle Mariners for big money because he's from Washington, you know.That's who will get Tanaka. A more interesting question might be who could use Tanaka the most. The Dodgers don't need Tanaka. They're just gluttonous creeps. That doesn't have to be a bad thing. I wish my team were gluttonous creeps when it came to free agents. But if it's an issue of need, the Dodgers already have three pitchers who would start on Opening Day for most teams.A list of other reported suitors: Yankees Cubs Rangers Diamondbacks Angels Mariners But, obviously, there are a lot more teams that could use him. The Orioles, for example. The Pirates would love to have him. I don't know where the Giants would fit Tanaka into the rotation, but he'd most likely make them a lot better. Still, let's start with the known suitors before looking for the surprise picks.The Yankees could certainly use another starting pitcher. CC Sabathia isn't guaranteed to rebound, especially considering his velocity dip, and that the ostensible fourth starter (David Phelps) is coming off a disappointing year, and the ostensible fifth starter (Michael Pineda) is coming off major shoulder surgery. If it's an issue of need, the Yankees have it.The Cubs would be most interested in the buzz of the signing, as well as the relative youth of Tanaka fitting into their five-year plan better than other premium free agents. The Angels have a lot of money tied up in win-now hitting, but the rotation is something of a Costner movie. There's a need.The Rangers are erring on the side of gluttonous, but I'm not sure if they have the pronounced need in the rotation, so they're out. The Diamondbacks have a full rotation and a stable of pitching prospects, so they're out. And even though the Mariners seem like a good fit, with a history of successful NPB transitions and a desire to win in 2014, that doesn't seem like a team needing to spend on starting pitching.So it's the Yankees. Of all the teams in the land, I feel comfortable with the Yankees having the biggest need for a young, supposed-ace type.Except, let me throw out another team. Just spitballin'. They were briefly linked to Tanaka when the rumors were flying about the new posting system, but not since. The Houston Astros have Mark Appel in the system right now, and he might be in the rotation next year. They have young pitchers of note like Brad Peacock and Jarred Cosart. And unless something horrible happens, the Astros will also have Carlos Rodon. That's a good foundation with enviable upside.They recently signed the respectable Scott Feldman, but their payroll is still low enough to get fans (and the Players Association) grumbling. What they could use is a young star, someone to excite the ticket-buying and television-watching base, someone to pull them out of the doldrums and Tonight Show monologues. Preferably this would be a pitcher in his prime, young enough not to mess up their plans to build a super-rotation of the future.That is, Tanaka.Chances of it happening? Less than one percent, I'd guess. But if you're looking for teams that can bid the Dodgers up, maybe the rich teams are a bad place to start. No one's going to out-rich the Dodgers, not until the Yankees shed some old payroll. No, look for the teams that have hardly any future commitments in place. That's how the Mariners stunned the world with Cano. The Astros have a couple arbitration years for Dexter Fowler coming up. They have the Scott Feldman deal (three years, $30 million). They have Jose Altuve locked up through 2017 for a total of around $12 million.Other than that? Nothing. Other than a handful of arbitration cases for the players they'd like to keep, the Astros are delightfully unencumbered. There aren't going to be a lot of other young stars on the market like this. There rarely are. If you're looking for a prediction, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a good fit? The Yankees need Tanaka more than the other teams chasing him, but perhaps the Astros could use him more effectively than the rest of the field.Now let's get a pool going as to the exact date the Dodgers sign Tanaka. I'm going with January 14. __
On one hand, it'd be insane to buy Tanaka as well. On the other hand, kinda scary to rely on Josh Beckett for the 5 spot
Anyone remember this Japanese guy, was the greatest thing since sliced Tuna over there...dice something?
Yu Darvish, Hiroski Kuroda, Hideo Nomo. There are obviously flops and successes but for most part pitchers do well here. Remember this to Dice-K is 6 feet 180 while Tanaka is 6'2" 205. Better mechanics according to Plesac of the mlb network. Darvish has the look of a guy who is going to be a horse at the top of a rotation. He's listed at 6'5" and 225 pounds. Looking at the length of his arms and legs, you can see what made scouts drool over him coming out of NPB. Tanaka is no slouch in the height/weight department. He's listed at a very solid 6'2" and 205 pounds, which is roughly on par with the measurements for Zack Greinke.
According to everyone, it is his splitty that puts him in a whole new dimension. I was listening to an interview with Ryan Spilboroughs yesterday where he talked about Tanaka. He said that his splitter, his stride, and his ability to crank up his fastball with men on are what will make Tanaka a beast when he arrives. He said he believes that Tanaka will be a stud over here too. He said that Tanaka is not just an everyday Japanese pitcher. He is elite. He sounded very impressed with Tanaka.
Devil. I do get that. However, I view it a bit differently. I get that we have spent money (a lot of money) for some premier talent. However, if you look at the last decade, another picture forms. We were finally headed toward a great team in the early 2000's. When McCourt came in we looked great on paper and he allowed SOME additions. However, it was obvious that he believed that Depodesta could save money and still win games. What we did not know at the time was that we were also destroying the one things the Dodgers were always good at--scouting and development. There is some irony in that he wanted to rely on the crop of young players during his first few but was killing the farm in the process. In essence, McCourt stifled our growth terribly. Couple this stifling with Ned's bargain shopping and you see a pattern. While it seems like we have always been able to grab this FA and that. That has been far from the truth. We have been very lucky in reclamation projects. We have find over-the-hill infielders and pitchers and make them serviceable for one or two years. That was the norm. Yes, we had the Manny's, Andruws, and the Schmidt's. However, in the first we were asked to choose between little league fields and he. The second we are still paying on because McCourt was doing funny math. And the latter was signed because we did not do our due diligence. We have lost out on more than a few that stated that they would love to play here. Of our current product, Ethier, Kemp, Kershaw, and Puig are all homegrown. We were laughed at for both Puig and Ryu. Any team could have bid the amounts and looked brilliant. Instead, we go them and look like stars. They are both very very cheap compared to what they should receive on the open market. In other words, we have been rich for a very short time and we are just now making up for bad management. However, we are making calculated plays that help us win and grow. Tanaka falls in the category. He is number one or two that you get for 16 to 17. Nolasco got 12 a year and that seems reasonable after Kasmir got 11 per. Nolasco is a good number 3 or 4 on a decent team. He will not be the guy we saw last year again. For 5 million more per year, you could have the Dan Haren before the back pain. So worth it. I know this has turned long but I am tired of hearing that we are buying a championship. I disagree. We are fixing mistakes of the past while still putting out a good product. One final thought. We pay luxury tax. TO OTHER TEAMS. There are more than a few times who opt to go cheap so that their owners make more. We have been there while not receiving a penny. If we are footing the bill, most should shut up and be thankful we allow them to play us.
I can't disagree with you in theory. But this is what the game has become. And if a direct opponent we face, like the D Backs get him, that won't be good at all, especially since CK is...well, definitely making noise like he's not a lock. And quite honestly, not really doing shit in the great game of BB for a quarter of a century is ringing pretty hollow too. Tinkerbell. This team, new owners or not, needs to take a dump or get off the pot; the Yankees have the most because they had the best because they had the most---- cash, plain and simple. And that goes back to 1927. There's been exceptions to that, like 1988, sure....but we all know what's up. The failure of it all in every October, whether it's Broxton with Stairs or Kershaw throwing like so much batting practice for the Cardinals in the must win game of 2013, whatever, it's getting so-o-o fucking old now. Torre couldn't get it done. Mattingly the exact same failure. And managers well before both these busts. Let Ned make his final 'buy or die" purchase and let's see WTF happens. If we crash again, get rid of this schmuck once and for all. If it takes a hollow victory, so be it. It's gotten to be any kind of victory. Just my tuppence.
Ned, has shown his results with limited resources now we will see with mega resources. I mean limited in relationship to our market size.
Contemplating a starting lineup of 1) Kershaw 2) Greinke 3) Tanaka 4) Ryu 5) Haren brings quite the smile... now about 2B...
That is the thing. Who gives a shit about 2nd with that rotation. With those pitchers, we should be able to hold opponents to 3 runs or less per game. With our lineup, we should be able to scoot across 3 -5 every night. Having a good hitter at 2nd is lagniappe. I would gladly trade 2nd for Tanaka.
I agree with the basic sentiment but not your final thought. It was a sweet bonus when Steve Sax hit .332 a few years back because 2B can end up being a place where you hide .235 hitters with vacuums for gloves. However... Strong starters are worth their weight in gold.
