Ichiro Is Top Priority For Ms

Bill Bavasi said yesterday to the AP that signing Ichiro Suzuki to a contract extension is a "top priority."  John Hickey thinks it could get done sometime this spring.

If he did reach free agency, Ichiro would join the strongest crop of CFs in recent memory.  His move to CF is long overdue, in my opinion.  It maximizes his value.

Past speculation had the Giants as a possible suitor.  Do you think four years and $60MM would be appropriate? 

Comments

[Dave]

If he hits the market next off-season he'll have tons of suitors.
I could see dollar signs and some sweet talk landing him in right field at Yankee stadium.
Cashman has sung Ichiros praise many times in the past. Regardless, they'd still be a duck fart in the pack of suitors for him.
Just dreaming. Ichiro is one of the most impressive ballplayers I've ever seen, hands down. I've always wondered if he has 20/10 vision.

[Jimbo]

With the way the contracts are now, I think Ichiro could easily top four years and $60MM. Not only because of all the obvious reasons but also because of all the japanese media and fans he brings to the table, I'm sure the M's make a buck or two on that.

Also, they better sign him before hes a FA because then he'll command even more.

[boomshwa12]

juan pierre can get 5 years $44 mil from on the market, and alfonso soriano got 8 years at age 31. i'm sure ichiro could probably get 5 years $75 mil on the market.

[INWarner413]

I don't think the Giants would be interested in Ichiro, because he has not started collecting Social Security yet.

[Brickhaus]

On the open market, Ichiro should easily top 4 for $60M. He's the same age as Gary Matthews Jr. and has outperformed him by that much. Not only that, but he's a HUGE revenue draw for Japanese tourism; any team other than the Yankees or Red Sox would get a pretty big revenue boost by tapping into the new market, even if they have to move him back to RF in order to do so.

[SierraM]

If Coco doesn't perform in Boston this year, I believe that Theo would go all out on signing Ichiro. Theo wants the Red Sox to be a major name in Japan and with Ichiro and Matsuzaka, they'll be bigger than the Yankees.

[SierraM]

If Coco doesn't perform in Boston this year, I believe that Theo would go all out on signing Ichiro. Theo wants the Red Sox to be a major name in Japan and with Ichiro and Matsuzaka, they'll be bigger than the Yankees.

[pinetarhand]

bsox,

Quick question. (I don't want to start a huge drawn out conversation again) Are you saying that Ichiro at CF is the best player in MLB? Since if he was the best CF in NY, that would make him better than Beltran.

[jd]

i'm sure he was only talking about the AL team in NY.

[papi4prez]

I think the Red Sox will go hard after Ichiro whether or not Coco performs. He's a perfect fit in Boston and is the type of player that Theo and the Red Sox prefer, not just talent-wise but also personality-wise.

[boomshwa12]

i think ichiro is the kind of player every team would prefer talent and personality wise

[quintjs]

Crisp does not have a long term future in Boston, no question about it. His career high in OBP is remarkably low, and he is no longer required for leadoff. It would take a special career year for Boston to keep this guy long term.

Kinda want to point out to everyone that this post is about the M's going to go all out to resign the guy. Stop talking about NY or Boston. I mean it could happen, but not for another 10months at least. Wait until he actually becomes a FA before getting serious in the talk. Odds are he gets an extension anyway.

4/60 would be a bargain for Ichiro the way things are going.

[coolpapabell]

I remember hearing report about Ichiro being sick of losing and that after his contract expired he was going to cast his lot with a play-off contender.

Additionally, I also recall reading that a rivalry exists between Ichiro and Matsui which would exclude the Yankees. Many cite Matsui's absence as a reason why Ichiro chose to join Japan in the WBC.
It seems that Boston or Queens seem like likely landing spots; however he has also been quoted as preferring the west coast. Depending on how the season shakes out, LAA, LA SD and SF seem like the more likely destinations. If the M's make a lot of progress in the standings I think he just might stay, but I don't think Jeff Weaver is going to turn them into a contending team.

[jmonahan7]

Obviously the Red Sox would want him but i think that they would be ready to the #1 prospect in their organization that everybody seems to be forgetting about, Jacob Ellsbury.