MLB NEWS/RUMORS Thread

a 33 y/o reliever who throws 80mph
but if he can get people out...

Meet Kazuhisa Makita, the other Japanese player who will be posted this offseason
by Eric Stephen | True Blue LA — 6 hours ago

With Friday’s news of Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball finalizing details of a new posting agreement for Japanese players to come to the United States, the big news was two-way star Shohei Ohtani getting posted this December. But he’s not alone, soon to be joined by veteran right-handed pitcher Kazuhisa Makita.

Makita will be posted by the Seibu Lions on or before Dec. 31, and once posted, MLB teams will have 30 days to work out a contract agreement with the submarine pitcher. Ohtani was officially posted on Friday and will have until Dec. 22 to sign.

Here is what we know about Makita.

He is a submarine pitcher

Makita drops down from the right side, with his arm nearing scraping the pitching mound as he delivers the ball to home plate -- shades of former Royals closer Dan Quisenberry or more recently, Athletics reliever Chad Bradford.



Smoke and mirrors

Unlike Ohtani, who can throw a baseball 100 mph, Makita is in the low 80s with his fastball. Instead, he uses movement and deception to get hitters out. From his MLB.com scouting report:

"It’s no surprise Makita doesn’t rack up the strikeouts. Instead, he uses a combination of deception and pitchability to get outs. His fastball hovers around 80 mph and tops out around 85, according to reports, so Makita has to rely heavily on his unusual arm angle as well as his sinker, slider and curve."​

Veteran experience in both starting and relief

Makita, at 33, has an extensive resume, pitching for Japan in the World Baseball Classic in both 2013 and 2017. He started 110 games for the Seibu Lions from 2011-15, posting a 3.00 ERA in his first five seasons in the NPB.

In the last two seasons, Makita pitched exclusively in relief, posting a 1.91 ERA in 108 games, with 78 strikeouts and 21 walks in 141 1⁄3 innings. He has kept the ball in the ballpark during his career in the NPB, allowing a home run every 83.2 plate appearances, including just seven home runs in 2016-17 combined.

A Major League deal

Ohtani, at 23 years old, is subject to international bonus pool limits, which severely limit his initial earning potential. Ohtani will only be able to sign a minor league contract with his new team with a signing bonus of likely no more than $3.5 million or so, depending on the team.

Makita, however, is 33, and with the required six or more years of experience (he has seven years in the NPB), Makita qualifies as a foreign professional and is more of a true free agent, able to sign a major league contract. It is unknown what the posting fee will be, but with Ohtani and Makita grandfathered in to the old posting system between MLB and NPB, the most Seibu can receive is $20 million for Makita’s services.

 

imo stanton's going to nix going anywhere else if he feels there's a chance he can come here
and something else i was thinking about...
all the pressure is on the marlins
if stanton were to stay there this season, the marlins return for him would be greatly decreased by next year's f/a class
if i'm stanton, i'm staying put until the marlins work out something with the dodgers

 

from buster olney...

The Dodgers have not been heavily involved in the Stanton talks to this point, largely because they’re not interested in taking on such a massive contract. But sources say the Dodgers are well aware that the Stanton talks could turn in their direction, and in time, as the Stanton situation marinates, there could be an opportunity for them to consider.

Rival executives have spoken with admiration of the discipline that Andrew Friedman has demonstrated in his time with the Dodgers, citing his handling of Yu Darvish trade talks last summer -- when Friedman waited and waited and waited before getting Darvish for what was perceived at the time to be excellent value. If Stanton is willing to go to only the Dodgers and the Marlins decide they have to move as much of the contract as possible -- as the Rangers did with Alex Rodriguez in the winter of 2003-04, when they ate about 40 percent of his salary to make their deal with the Yankees -- then Friedman will have some leverage.

Friedman could make the money in a Stanton deal work a little better by working to shed some of his extraneous investments. He could ask the Marlins to take left-hander Scott Kazmir, who is owed $17.67 million for next season, and/or right-hander Brandon McCarthy, who will make $11.5 million. The Dodgers could approach Adrian Gonzalez, who will make $22.4 million next season, and give him choices: He could waive his no-trade clause, be included in the package to the Marlins (the team that drafted him in 2000) and have a chance to play regularly in 2018, or he could sit on the Dodgers’ bench.

If the Dodgers shed some expensive veterans in the deal and have a chance to get Stanton for say, $225 million to $240 million over 10 years, and if the Marlins are presented with their only immediate opportunity to dump $225 million in debt, it’s hard to imagine either side saying no.​

 

lol padres

Padres give GM Preller three-year extension
ESPN — 62 minutes ago

San Diego Padres executive vice president/general manager A.J. Preller received a three-year extension on Sunday.

Preller is now under contract with San Diego through the 2022 season.

"A.J. is a tireless worker who possesses one of the brightest minds in the game," executive chairman Ron Fowler and managing partner Peter Seidler said in a joint statement. "We have no doubt that he is the right man to lead our baseball operations group into the future.

"Over the last few years, A.J. and his staff have laid the foundation to transform our minor league system into one of the best in baseball, and we're beginning to see the fruits of their labor at the Major League level. We are all committed to a common vision of building from within to bring a World Series Championship to San Diego."

Since being hired in 2014, Preller has made trades to improve the major league roster, adding first baseman Wil Myers, center fielder Manuel Margot and second baseman Carlos Asuaje.

In addition, he claimed All-Star closer Brad Hand off waivers from the Miami Marlins.

Preller also has traded for prospects Fernando Tatis Jr. and Anderson Espinoza. He drafted right-hander Cal Quantrill and signed left-hander Adrian Morejon, two other touted prospects in the Padres system.

"I'd like to thank Ron and Peter for their continued support of baseball operations," Preller said in the statement. "I'm extremely optimistic about the direction of our Club and I'm excited to continue building toward a perennial contender in San Diego."