Yu Darvish Rumors

Heyman On Matsui, Bradley, Dye, Chapman

Hideki Matsui is in the final year of a four-year, $52MM extension he signed with the Yankees following the 2005 campaign. At the age of 35, Matsui turned in one of his best seasons in the majors, posting .280/.373/.521 and 28 HRs. However, it doesn't appear that Hideki Matsui is a capable fielder at this stage of his career after all the injuries he has been through. Having not taken the field once all season, Matsui is strictly an American League player. As Tim Dierkes pointed out last week, if Matsui looks to sign elsewhere, he will find himself vying...   Continue Reading

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Chapman, Darvish And Strasburg

Aroldis Chapman, Yu Darvish and Stephen Strasburg "represent the best pitching talent in the world that is not yet in the major leagues," so ESPN.com's Keith Law grades the trio of pitchers. Here's his take on each one: Aroldis Chapman is a 21-year-old lefty who just defected from Cuba. He relies on a fastball that touches 100 mph and has the makings of a good slider. That combination could make him a top reliever and better secondary stuff could help him realize his ceiling and become a top starter. Yu Darvish is a 22-year-old righty who pitches in the NPB...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Red Sox, Strasburg, Halladay

Links for Wednesday afternoon... WEEI.com's Alex Speier reports that the Red Sox signed two international players named Alcantara to six-figure bonuses, but they are unrelated and neither one is related to former Red Sox player Izzy Alcantara. Mario Alcantara and Raul Alcantara are both right-handed pitchers. The Baltimore Sun reports that the Red Sox signed Johns Hopkins graduate Chez Angeloni as a free agent. Keith Law tells Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker that Stephen Strasburg has more upside than Yu Darvish, though Darvish has faced better competition. Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe asks Red Sox fans to slow down...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Gonzalez, Pirates, Batista

More links for the afternoon... Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times says the Mariners face some tough long-term decisions about Adrian Beltre and his future as a Mariner. Pirates president Frank Coonelly believes his team will be able to match or surpass the Brewers' payroll once attendance picks up, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball reports that Ken Rosenthal will join the MLB Network and keep reporting for FOX Sports. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times can see the Mariners trading Miguel Batista whether they're buyers or sellers. Patrick Newman of...   Continue Reading

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Yankees Scouting Yu Darvish

According to Japan's Sports Hochi, via Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker, the Yankees had three scouts on hand to watch Yu Darvish pitch Friday night. Darvish didn't dominate, but he held the opposition to one earned run on four hits and fanned four batters. We've covered Darvish at length here at MLBTR. He won't be a free agent until 2014, but he's only 22 and already has multiple major league teams tracking his progress.   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Bonifacio, Jimenez, Darvish

Links for Friday... Royals third baseman Alex Gordon is out 10-12 weeks due to hip surgery. Mark Teahen will slide over to take his place. Ken Rosenthal examines the Indians. I did a Q&A with But The Game Is On. Chico Harlan of the Washington Post gets into the Emilio Bonifacio trade. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. writes about how the Yankees' signing of D'Angelo Jimenez changed everything. Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker has a Yu Darvish velocity chart. The Big Lead talked to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Paul DePodesta explains the Padres' decision to expose Travis Denker...   Continue Reading

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Yu Darvish Reactions

Over at NPB Tracker Patrick Newman passes on some reactions to Yu Darvish, who pitched in Japan's exhibition game against the Cubs yesterday. Twenty scouts from at least 10 teams were there to watch Darvish throw as hard as 96. He won't be a free agent until 2014 at the earliest. John Cox, who scouts the Far East for the Giants likes what he's seen from the 22-year-old, saying "if he's interested in the majors we'll think about aquiring him." Alfonso Soriano was also impressed by Darvish's stuff and Carlos Zambrano thinks he has "an aura on the mound."   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Darvish, Rockies, Angels, Nats

More links for Friday... RotoAuthority has a list of undervalued pitchers for 2009. ESPN's Keith Law raves about Yu Darvish, saying he'd be a #1 starter in the U.S. Should be wild if he's ever posted. Salon.com's King Kaufman spoke to Tracy Ringolsby about his move from the Rocky Mountain News to Inside The Rockies. Sam Miller of the OC Register comes up wih some options for the backend of the Angels' rotation. MLB.com's Bill Ladson has his own blog: All Nats All The Time. Ladson says the Nationals' GM position will remain open for the forseeable future, with the...   Continue Reading

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WBC May Be Showcase For Future Major Leaguers

Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune notes that the '06 World Baseball Classic was the coming out party for Kosuke Fukudome and Alexei Ramirez, and gives us a list of players that could be playing for big league contracts in this year's WBC. Rogers lists Yu Darvish (Japan), Hyun-jin Ryu and Suk Min Yoon (Korea) along with Albertin Chapman, Yuniesky Maya and Yuliesky Gourriel (Cuba) as the players that could be playing for future millions. Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Gammons, Kawakami, Buck

Links for Monday... Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik admitted to have a conversation with Ken Griffey Jr.'s agent, but wouldn't reveal anything else. One of Matthew Cerrone's readers dug up a Primera Hora article saying the Mets have been scouting free agent reliever Fernando Cabrera. Bob Klapisch looks at Pedro Martinez's four-year, $53MM deal and asks: was it worth it? Rays Index notes that Grant Balfour will use WBC participation as a bargaining chip in contract negotiations (he's eligible for arbitration). Marc Hulet of Baseball Analysts looks at top hitters for the Rule 5 draft. Fire Brand of the American League...   Continue Reading

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