The TANAKA Thread

well that is another perspective... fuck rich underachieving owners then

I was thinking that it was good that perennial low life cheapskates like the Padres or Marlins are tidily kept from playing at the big boys international wagering table.

 

Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball are still in the process of working toward an agreement on a new posting system for bringing Japanese players to the United States before they hit free agency in NPB. Reports Wednesday indicate a deal is nigh, though.
Japanese outlet Sanspo reported that NPB is expected to accept MLB's proposal of a $20 million posting fee limit and Fox Sports' Jon Morosi confirmed that this is indeed the case.
From here, though, things get a bit murkier.
Some reports -- such as from Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times -- indicate that if multiple teams bid the max $20M posting fee, the player would then get to negotiate with only the teams that bid the max. So if, say, seven teams bid $20 million for the right to negotiate with ace pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, those seven would get to negotiate a contract with Tanaka and he'd ultimately get to decide with whom he signed. The team that was able to sign him would then pay Tanaka's NPB team (the Rakuten Golden Eagles) $20 million while the other six wouldn't have to pay a dime.
[NOTE: This is just an example, because I'm certain more than seven teams would be willing to pay that posting fee for Tanaka.]
On the other hand, there is another report floating around that if multiple teams bid the maximum posting fee amount that the team with the lowest winning percentage from the previous season would get to exclusively negotiate with the player in question.
If that's the case, it's a pretty easy bet that the Astros sign Tanaka.
It's hard to figure this actually being the system that's agreed upon. If there's a player like Tanaka ready to post, there would be some tanking issues down the stretch -- not to mention how relatively low the posting fee is. Every team can afford to post $20 million for the rights to bring over an ace like Yu Darvish has become. Thus, the worst team in the league would pretty much be guaranteed the player -- which may even force some guys to decide to stay in Japan until they hit free agency.
This is a big deal regardless, but it's especially huge this offseason as Tanaka is ready to post and would easily be the best starting pitcher available on the free agent market.
Tanaka, a 25-year-old right hander, was 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 183 strikeouts in 212 innings pitched. He led his team to the championship, too. He's about the same age Yu Darvish with slightly better numbers than Darvish at the time the latter posted, so obviously Tanaka will be a hot commodity once (if?) he's posted this offseason.
In terms of the $20 million maximum posting fee, it's actually pretty surprising that the individual teams in Japan are willing to accept a fee this low for premier talent. Daisuke Matsuzaka landed the Seibu Lions $51,111,111.11, Darvish landed the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters $51,703,411 and even Kei Igawa landed the Hanshin Tigers a tick over $26 million.

posted at 5:29 ET... http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24337738/mlb-npb-appear-to-be-closing-in-on-posting-system-agreement

 

I trust Shaikin more than any other reporter in the game. He seems to have strong ties into the MLB offices inner circle. Since his report, a couple of the other major publication writers have said that they are now hearing the same thing. Just don't see how that worst record BS would pass everyone's approval.

 

Good for them I sorta hope they don't post him. If they don't it will drive the cost of the existing pool up and make it mire expensive for smaller market teams. Limit the pool drive the cost up, basic market principle

 

They haven't agreed to anything yet, so this could be that owner's way of getting more out of MLB. I know this is not much, but the local "baseball insider" on the radio had heard that a majority of MLB owners would be willing to go to 30 million and he believed 40 was even doable. He thinks that there will be some last minute negotiating to make this a more NPB friendly deal. We'll see though.

 

I always thought the whole paying money just to negotiate with a guy idea was dumb. If a player wants to play in the States, why should their international team get money from it? Only reason I can understand is if the player is still under contract. International players need to just sign with MLB teams after high school/college because the best ones end up over here anyways. It's like that recent young Asian pitching prospect who decided to sign with his Japanese team rather than go to a big league club, even though he'll probably be here in the future anyways. Just dumb IMO.

 

Players initially sign 9 year deals in the NPB. Otani I believe was the first one I had heard of garnering tons of attention before establishing himself in the NPB first. It is seen as dishonorable to bail for MLB and not honoring a NPB contract after being drafted(he was the number 1 pick), which also comes with a lifetime ban, hence Otani deciding to not sign with an MLB team. As for the posting thing, the player is still under contract with his previous team, players can't simply drop one contract for another in the State because they feel like it, also the MLB would never allow a team to screw up ties between the 2 leagues. The posting bid is only used if you sign the player, otherwise it comes back to you so there is not a huge risk.

 

http://yakyubaka.com/2013/12/06/125...cuss-posting-masahiro-tanaka-under-new-rules/

 

Thanks for the info. Cleared some things up.

 

It is official, NPB and MLB have agreed to the proposed deal. $20 mil posting max and multiple max bidders will compete for the player. Now we see if Tanaka is posted which can be currently labeled as "questionable".

 

Don't understand why MLB would do that though, they have all the leverage.

 

I wonder if it was ever a consideration for the max bid to be like 5 million but every team that bid lost that money no matter what.

 

Personally I don't see why Ratuken would post him now. I know Doughty said it's the Japanese culture to want to compete at the highest level but where is the motivation for the club?

Is tanaka worth more or less than 20m for them? I'm better the over here.

 

Yup

 

Tanaka.
Fox Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi reported Friday night that the new posting system for Japanese players remains on track to be announced next week.
One problem: Tanaka’s team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles, might not post him. Rakuten’s president, Yozo Tachibana, said as much Thursday in an interview with a Japanese newspaper.
Some in baseball believe that Tachibana is not simply posturing, a troubling development for the Yankees, Angels, Cubs and all the other teams that want a crack at Tanaka.
Under the new system, the highest posting fee a Japanese team can receive is $20 million. The Rangers, by contrast, bid $51.7 million for the negotiating rights to Yu Darvish in Dec. 2011.
As an asset, Tanaka is about to be devalued. And Tachibana, whom executives describe as something of a maverick, might keep him in Japan to make a point.
Which would be a shame for anyone who wants to see Tanaka in North America.
Under the new system, if multiple teams express a willingness to pay the maximum fee of $20 million, a player can pick the club he likes best, effectively operating as a free agent.
As before, the posting fee will not count in luxury-tax calculations. Thus, the lower fee will hurt clubs with tax concerns such as the Yankees and Angels — teams that were banking on making a sizable chunk of their investment in tax-free dollars.

 

Thus, the lower fee will hurt clubs with tax concerns such as the Yankees and Angels — teams that were banking on making a sizable chunk of their investment in tax-free dollars.


Makes no sense, it doesn't hurt them or help them. Whether it's 20 mill or 50 mill there is no tax so WTF? It's the money they actually pay the player that counts against the tax and the money they pay for posting has no bearing on the size of the contract.