ESPN says that he's going to the Cubs??? Give me a break, I think he'll go with the Yankees, they'll probably offer CC money which is a bit much even though I would love to see him here.
^Yup. We can close this book until next November. At least this time it was Tanaka himself who put the brakes on today.
Rakuten probably secretly hoping that they restructure the agreement next year to extract more money from Tanaka. I think they will end up with egg on their collective face. Do they really want to keep somebody who really doesn't want to be there?
And too, how does the new posting system make things better for the smaller teams? They're going to get outbid on the contract portion every time out, anyways.
This Tanaka shit is annoying. Either post the guy or not. All this wavering back and forth just makes me wish their stadium would spontaneously erupt.
Rakuten Planning Record Offer For Tanaka By Aaron Steen [December 19, 2013 at 7:15am CST] The Rakuten Golden Eagles appear to be settling on not posting Masahiro Tanaka and plan to offer him a contract with a record annual salary of 800MM yen, or around $7.7MM, Sports Hochi reports. Tanaka said in a press conference this week that he had communicated his desire to pitch in the U.S. in 2014 to Rakuten. However, it appears that the maximum $20MM posting fee agreed to by MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball negotiators under the new posting system -- a drastic reduction from what Rakuten was expected to receive under the old arrangement -- is giving club ownership considerable pause. The 800MM yen ($7.7MM) offer would double Tanaka's current salary and make him the highest-paid pitcher in NPB history. However, it's much less than what he was likely to get from an MLB club. One GM recently told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that Tanaka was certain to receive a deal worth more than $100MM if posted. The hurler nevertheless appears ready to accept whatever decision Rakuten comes to. "If the team tells me, 'We're not going to post you. Please stay,' the professional thing to do is give it your all and get back to pitching," Tanaka told reporters this week. "I'm ready to do that." The starting pitching market appears to be waiting for a resolution on the Tanaka issue, as Ervin Santana, Matt Garza and Ubaldo Jimenez have all remained on the board while top bats have signed. It's difficult to say where the market heads if Tanaka isn't posted. While competition for pitchers like Santana and Garza would intensify, Tanaka has the potential to drive up their prices further still, as many see him as a $100MM pitcher. Santana's representatives at Proformance are also known to be seeking a $100MM deal for their client. If Tanaka received a contract of that size, the agency could argue that Santana, who's already shown the ability to be an impact starter in the majors, has earned a similar deal. Tanaka, 25, had a 1.27 ERA in 212 innings this season in Japan and owns a lifetime 2.30 ERA over seven seasons. Teams connected with him recently include the Diamondbacks, the Cubs, the Yankees and the Rangers. __
^and now they're backpedaling... again we can blame tanaka, we can blame his team, but the one who fucked it up for everyone is mlb/selig... again 11:47am: Rakuten president Yozo Tachibana told reporters in Sendai today that Tanaka could still be posted, as they've yet to make a decision on the matter and discussions are ongoing, according to a report from Sponichi (Japanese link). __
a few insiders believe he'll eventually be posted. they think NPB is building up the intrigue and doing what they think is necessary to hype Tanaka's arrival sort of like China did with Yao Ming, and that they're still aiming to profit off Tanaka's name. i could see NPB strongly insisting that Tanaka play for either the Yankees or Dodgers.
Seriously, I'm so sick of this story. I wish all media outlets would let this die but that is not going to happen. I'm starting to actually not like Tanaka because of this even though it's not his fault.
IMO, everyone in the NLW has made some big, improving-type signings, and I think the Rox and DBacks will be tough....even the Padres look better. We have pretty much stayed the same, but I would venture to say we solidified the 40r 5 (?) spot with the werewolf Haren. Signing Wilson, the greatest pitcher of all time, was a good move. I guess we are in a unique position where if our injured players come through, like Kemp, Crawford, and Beckett, and return to the level of their respective yesteryears, we will be so-o-o powerful. If, of course. Otherwise, I feel a bit jaded, while everyone got better, we really didn't do anything that big deal. I feel like my nose is pressed up against the window pane, and I'm watching the hoi polloi eat lobster.
There was a quick tidbit today that if Tananka is posted, he would prefer to play on the west coast. Earlier on it was rumored he would rather play on the Yankees or Dodgers. So by process of elimination....
