no, there was fear, and suspicion, but we all knew they were going to figure it out somehow... at the end, it means way too many dollars going to the Japan team...
it's not about the japanese team/league it's about mlb wanting international picks to count against the mlb teams and there's still no guarantee it gets resolved this offseason
that has nothing to do with the agreement... that's an internal MLB issue that the NPB doesnt care about... one thing is how they transfer players, and another is how the league counts the money spent on them...
I like Napoli and Beltran but can't imagine them getting loose. Nathan is rather long in the teeth but had a good year for the Rangers
Beltran wants 3 years so no. Nathan IS going to be a closer so he's not a need. Did Napoli play a lot of catcher this year? That would be about the only reason I would want him. Our everyday line-up I think will be fine, it's the bench and bullpen that concerns me at least. I am going to try this again, what about Raffy aka Fookie? Garrett Jones for a power bat off the bench and primary back-up for AGon. Give Onelki a shot at the bully and HOPE League can be some semblance of what he was pre-contract.
It is, as ML teams want the posting fee to be the average of the 2 highest bids and the NPB players association wants more money going to the players rather than the team.
Beltran can be insurance and a 5th OF, Nathan can be the setup and Napoli can backup Adrian at 1B!!!! Do it GG... Dont go cheap!!!
I agree Nathan can but he's on record that he wants to close so unless he's unsigned well into March I think he'll stick to his guns. Napoli thinks he still in his prime no way he backs up anyone and you aren't going to meet his price and then make him one.
We've seen this before so take this with a grain of salt but it looks closer and closer. David Waldstein of the New York Times reports that MLB and Japan baseball executives are expected to agree upon a new posting system. The two sides have narrowed the potential negotiation systems down to three, one of which will be agreed upon. It's unclear at the moment what those potential options are, but it surely looks like this whole posting mess will be cleared up soon. Once that happens, and it's settled where Masahiro Tanaka will play, look for the rest of the starting pitching market to begin taking shape. Source: David Waldstein on TwitterDec 1 - 7:17 PM
hope this isn't a sign for the yankees in addition to working for the ny times, waldstein is also a :yankees: beat writer...
