SUNDAY, 10:00pm: Iwakuma's agent Don Nomura tweeted about the Athletics winning the bidding, it appears.
SUNDAY, 8:55am: NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman passes on a pair of Japanese reports suggesting that Rakuten will accept the top bid for Iwakuma, which could be higher than $16MM (Twitter links).
SATURDAY, 1:48pm: Rosenthal writes that the A's "are believed to have made a strong push" for Iwakuma. He speculates that if the Brewers are willing to part with Casey McGehee, they could potentially match up for a trade with Oakland given their need for pitching.
1:07pm: Rosenthal says that the Athletics also bid on Iwakuma (Twitter link) with the idea trading one of the excess starters for a bat if they landed him. The FoxSports.com scribe adds that the Rangers may have bid too low.
12:11pm: FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Rangers may be the high bidder for Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma. Last night we heard that the Mariners were the favorite to land him. In a second tweet, Rosenthal says that Texas definitely submitted a bid, but there's no guarantee that the Rakuten Golden Eagles will accept the high bid. They were seeking $16MM-17MM in the posting process.
The Rangers had tremendous success bringing Colby Lewis over from Japan last year, so it makes sense that they'd explore that avenue again. Iwakuma is widely considered to be the second best starting pitcher in Japan behind Yu Darvish.
The bidding closed last night, and reports out of Japan indicated that Seattle submitted a bid of $13MM. Iwakuma was also said to prefer the West Coast.
From what I’ve heard, he’s known for limiting fly balls, thus he might succeed at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington…I think the AL West is a good fit for Iwakuma, not really any pressure.
Iwakuma in pitchers haven like Safeco is one thing, but in a hitters paradise like Arlington is another.
The Rangers plan B?
I hope they have some if they make this mistake.
The A’s should trade Vin Mazzaro/Ian Krol for Chris Young or Casey McGehee.
The Rangers needed more pitching besides Lee. It would be a solid move to lengthen their rotation.
I don´t think so, the M´s are the perfect fit for Iwakuma, not the Rangers,
Why not, with or without Lee that rotation needs help. Tommy Hunter had no business starting in the playoffs.
IF Iwakuma prefers the West coast, Ranger aren’t likely to land him cause they are not a “West coast” team geographical location wise.
asinine, plain and simple. sure Tommy Hunter didnt do well in the playoffs, but to say he had no business being there is a joke. 13-4 in 23 games with 22 starts, posting a 3.73 ERA good enough to tie for 18th in the AL had he had enough innings to qualify if it were not for starting the season on the DL. He just did not bring his good stuff with him and folded under pressure, just give him time.
Wins are asinine, they measure the strength of your offense rather than the strength of your pitcher. Felix Hernandez had 13 wins too, was Tommy Hunter as good as him? Also, decent ERA but awful FIP, shows that his ERA was not a true reflection of his talent level in 2010.
I had no idea he was that young though, so I’ll agree it’s asinine of me to write him off. His numbers in AAA are pretty underwhelming though.
i have, many times previously on MLB.com’s pages, said that wins are not a measure of how good a pitcher is, so this i DO know. Phil Hughes comes to mind. BUT, out of 23 games, Tommy Hunter directly was responsible for ONLY 4 loses. 6 no decisions mean that either the game was tied when he came out, or the bullpen cost him the potential win. And still it would be the offense that truly should get credit for the win, but it is the pitchers job (in the AL) to keep the team in the game.
If it is the Rangers, you have to love how they are spending their money right now. If only they had been allowed to sign Purke…
go m’s!
How can it be the rangers if Iwakuma prefers the west coast though given that the rangers play in Texas which is not on the west coast.
Ugg, this is going to be one of those stories where there is a new “front runner” every 10 minutes. These reporters don’t know anything. Can’t they just wait until it’s announced?
Seattle is still considered the favorites.
Come on M´s, sign this guy…
Rotation for 2012
Felix
Iwakuma
Pineda
Gerrit Cole/Purke/Fister
Vargas
First Seattle needs to win the bid then they can start negotiating a contract.
I think they won the bid, Rangers have bid too low, Seattle is in the west coast, is perfect for Japanese players and also the Japanese media say that M´s offered most money than any team
Oakland is also in the west coast.
Yes, but Oakland is a very small market, even smaller than Seattle, and his budget don´t allow this type of contracts
I don’t tend to assume anything like this given it can be just about any team until they come out with who won the bid.
If they bid, they have the budget. More of a hitter’s park than Safeco though.
Maybe they bid too low, 5 millions or so, just to see what happened
Even if Oakland has a budget, the player may not necessary agree to what Oakland may offer.
Oakland has been acting like a smaller market team, but they have the funds to put a bid in. With Chavez and Sheets off the books that is around 20 million right there that is coming off. Expect a strong bid from them as well as a few good bids on other FA bats.
but that 20min needs to be spread on other players. Putting all eggs in a single basket can easily backfire for oakland.
For a small market team, the A’s can be somewhat unpredictable. I was surprised when they threw 10M at Ben Sheets last off-season. Therefore, I wouldn’t underestimate them.
But as a Mariners fan, I would like to see Iwakuma land in Seattle. I think it is a great park for a pitcher known for keeping the HR rate down, Seattle is on the west coast, and they have general success with players from Japan.
If it was between Seattle and Oakland, given Safeco is a pitchers park and they have ichiro that may be enough to where Seattle would be the winning bid.
It’s all about money though. Unless Ichiro pitched in some money on behalf of Seattle, he won’t factor into who won the bidding.
But seattle also has a history of having Japanese players. Heck they have a rather large japanese market.
Still doesn’t matter. What do you think Iwakuma’s team cares more about, the money or where Iwakuma goes? That’s right, the money. That’s why teams make bids.
Yes its money but its also money between MLB team and player. Just cause Iwakuma’s team picked the highest bid, doesn’t mean there will be a contract between MLB and player. No contract between MLB team and player then Iwakuma’s team doesn’t get the bidding money.
Rosenthal said there is no guarantee that the team will accept a high bid.
So its a matter of which MLB team has the better chance at signing him to a contract in order for Iwakuma’s team to get the bidding money.
Seattle or Oakland?
The A’s have a ton of money coming off the books with Duchscherer, Sheets, and Chavez not coming back. It shouldn’t be too surprising to see them splurge on free agents in the off-season, what is surprising is that the investment would be in pitching.
A’s have a pitcher’s park. A’s have a track-record of producing great pitching. The A’s are consistently a better team than the Mariners. Seattle is gloomy, rainy, depressing (couldn’t even keep the sonics). Money being equal, I would choose the A’s and the bay area everytime against Seattle (and i’m a padres fan from san diego).
Seattle would be BETTER for him than Oakland. So what has Seattle being gloomy rainy and depressing got to do with ANYTHING. Good grief. And who the hell would want to play for Oakland given that they can’t even fill the stadium more than Seattle.
We don’t even know how much Oakland is bidding. Yet alone what kind of contract Iwakuma wants. It could be 15m a year 16 or even 17m a year we don’t know.
Oh and leave the sonics out of the mess.
In a battle of the cities I choose Seattle over Oakland every time. Nobody is telling Mariner players to live in Seattle the other 6 months of the year, and Summer in Seattle is actually quite pleasant. Not too hot, Not cold, and an incredible number of activities to choose from.
Now, that aside, the bidding process is all about the money.
Of course its money since ultimately its up to the players team to decide which bid they will choice. He can still ultimately decide to go back to Japan. So i think its a moot point to argue which MLB yet alone if one of the bids will be accepted that he’ll end up with until we see his name on the dotted line on the contract. Regardless if that maybe Seattle, oakland or Texas.
Seattle over Oakland anyday, then I don’t have to put up with those annoying Raiders fans that are everywhere
Well the Raiders are putting toghether a pretty impressive run with their win streak.
Rosenthal is off on his prediction of McGehee for one of Oakland’s young pitchers. The Brewers 3rd baseman is 28 and totally unproven aside from one good year hitting NL pitching.
Ken is definitely putting the cart before the horse. Slow down there buddy!
And, Kouzmanoff is not that good, but the A’s have far more pressing needs in the outfield than at 3B. If a pitcher is traded, you bet its for an outfielder.
I would argue he’s not really unproven. He put up a 1.9 WAR in 116 games in 2009, and a 3.5 WAR in 157 games in 2010. From watching him play these last two seasons, he’s a very good hitter (although his defense is suspect at times). A Major League triple-slash of .288/.342/.470 is pretty good through two seasons. Admittedly, that is a bit of a small sample-size, but still. I would not say he is “totally unproven.”
That said, I doubt the A’s would be looking for a 3rd baseman, and I doubt the Brewers would be willing to give up McGehee with only a definitely unproven Mat Gamel at 3B behind him, even if it is for a young pitcher. Pitching talent will likely come from a Fielder trade this year for the Brewers.
No way the Brewers will trade McGehee. They need him at 3B…trading him would leave a huge hole in the infield along with the middle of their order. And don’t even tell me Gamel could go there, he is not a 3B and has proven nothing. They need to trade Fielder who they will lose anyways, not McGehee who is under team control for a long time yet. Rosenthal, I usually agree with what you have to say, but not this one. Who are your sources on this?
Everyone can be had on the Brewers. Pitching wins. Casey can be replaced if it brings a #2 or #3 starter.
I agree everyone can be had. But they are going to trade Prince and minor leaguers for pitching, not someone in the majors who has been productive and is under team control for a long time yet. But then again, Doug Melvin is not the smartest guy, but he did make a hell of a hire to be their next manager.
No way the Brewers will trade McGehee. They need him at 3B…trading him would leave a huge hole in the infield along with the middle of their order. And don’t even tell me Gamel could go there, he is not a 3B and has proven nothing. They need to trade Fielder who they will lose anyways, not McGehee who is under team control for a long time yet. Rosenthal, I usually agree with what you have to say, but not this one. Who are your sources on this?
I hope the A’s land this guy. I don’t think the Brewers would let go of McGehee, but I think if they get Iwakuma, It would allow them to trade someone like Vin Mazzaro, and also let one or two of their pitching prospects go in a trade for a slugger.
I hope the A’s land this guy. I don’t think the Brewers would let go of McGehee, but I think if they get Iwakuma, It would allow them to trade someone like Vin Mazzaro, and also let one or two of their pitching prospects go in a trade for a slugger.
Kouzmanoff going on4 seasons has put up a 2,5, 2.7, 2.7, 2.9 WAR value. Not great, but decent. Last yr he played elite level defense, unfortunately his bat regressed. I dont know much about mcghee other than he’s surprised last 2 yrs, but A’s would look to upgrade at corner OF power instead. Unless they trade kouzmanoff himself too. After beltre the 3b FA market thins out. We did hear about the reynolds for mazzaro/kouz rumor months go
Dont forget A’ have josh outman from joe blanton trade, who was their best pitcher in early 09 coming back from tj surgery. Tyson Ross who has great stuff but a funky and violent delivery, prior to getting hurt they had him 96-98mph in his last AAA game. So both are potential back rotation options too
Kouzmanoff going on4 seasons has put up a 2,5, 2.7, 2.7, 2.9 WAR value. Not great, but decent. Last yr he played elite level defense, unfortunately his bat regressed. I dont know much about mcghee other than he’s surprised last 2 yrs, but A’s would look to upgrade at corner OF power instead. Unless they trade kouzmanoff himself too. After beltre the 3b FA market thins out. We did hear about the reynolds for mazzaro/kouz rumor months go
Dont forget A’ have josh outman from joe blanton trade, who was their best pitcher in early 09 coming back from tj surgery. Tyson Ross who has great stuff but a funky and violent delivery, prior to getting hurt they had him 96-98mph in his last AAA game. So both are potential back rotation options too
The Rangers also have to worry about Hamilton in (after a freakish year) Arb2, Wilson in (going from RP to SP will bring a big raise)Arb3, Cruz and Murphy in Arb1, contract raises to guys like Kinsler, Feldman and Lewis and finding 1-2 catchers. I’m not sure how freely they can spend if they intend to lock up their guys.
The Rangers also have to worry about Hamilton in (after a freakish year) Arb2, Wilson in (going from RP to SP will bring a big raise)Arb3, Cruz and Murphy in Arb1, contract raises to guys like Kinsler, Feldman and Lewis and finding 1-2 catchers. I’m not sure how freely they can spend if they intend to lock up their guys.
As a Mariners fan, I would love to see them land Iwakuma. I hope they were the high bidder. When will it be announced?
Not after Thursday… I think the M´s won the bid, GO Mariners!!!
It would make sense for him going to Oakland, a pitchers park that is making moves this offseason. If he went to Oakland the roto could be dangerous. If the a’s pickup some vats like they are rumored to do, they will be the team to beat in 2011
Their rotation is already dangerous. #1 in the AL and the youngest rotation in all of baseball.
Their rotation is already dangerous. #1 in the AL and the youngest rotation in all of baseball.
I 100 percent agree, with adding him to the roto we can afford trading mazzaro or a young pitcher and upgrade our Hitting. If this happens we will be very dangerous 1 through 5 in the roto and we will have a lineup that can produce
It would make sense for him going to Oakland, a pitchers park that is making moves this offseason. If he went to Oakland the roto could be dangerous. If the a’s pickup some vats like they are rumored to do, they will be the team to beat in 2011
A’s and Rakuten entered into an official working agreement last January, so you’d think that would give them some sort of an edge in their pursuit of Iwakuma.
Seattle should focus on trying to get Matsuzaka from Boston, Ichiro would be thrilled to play with his WBC buddy and maybe hit .360 again
Iwakuma, Darvish, and Nakajima are all his “WBC Buddies”
i hope you didnt forget who the mvp of the WBC was…..seriously
I hope you didn’t forget Ichiro has seen how good Matsuzaka has been in the MLB
I hope you didnt forget who the MVP of the WBC was twice……seriously
speaking of WBC, isnt that this year again? or is it next year, its every two years i thought
3 years
Should be BOTH Iwakuma & Darvish.
Looks like the A’s won the bidding war. Many people that post comments on here know nothing about the Oakland A’s.
link to twitter.com
Chris Carter, Grant Green, Jemile Weeks, Max Stassi to name some farm players….Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, Vin Mazzaro, Josh Outman to name some SP……The A’s are going to have a good year especially since a lot of money is coming off the books (Ben Sheets & Most importantly Eric Chavez)
soo the tweet says, “It is a contract player … and now it is undecided” soo I really dont know what that really means but it must be something….Oakland now has a chance to actually obtain some nice offense if they do trade him or some other pitcher!!! With Chris Carter looking like a good threat @ 1B/OF and Kurt Suzuki at Catcher which may benefit Iwakuma…the A’s just need a big bat to be able contend
I am a GIANTS FAN (WORLD SERIES WINNERS)!! But knows the Oakland A’s can be a dominate team with some offense
soo the tweet says, “It is a contract player … and now it is undecided” soo I really dont know what that really means but it must be something….Oakland now has a chance to actually obtain some nice offense if they do trade him or some other pitcher!!! With Chris Carter looking like a good threat @ 1B/OF and Kurt Suzuki at Catcher which may benefit Iwakuma…the A’s just need a big bat to be able contend
I am a GIANTS FAN (WORLD SERIES WINNERS)!! But knows the Oakland A’s can be a dominate team with some offense
I do, but I could be really wrong. Also, it’d look bad on them initially but who knows, Lee could fall apart in a couple years. He IS already 33.
It also shows that the Rangers are in fact not afraid of spending money. I doubt the Rangers are going to give up going after Lee just like that.
The Rangers recently signed a $1.6Billion tv deal with FSSW. a 20 year deal that takes effect in 2015… but they ALSO got something around $70Million for a signing bonus up front, so in essence the Rangers have an extra $70Mil they can play around with for payroll, if they so choose… this is on top of the ~80-100M they were planning on to begin with.
The Rangers could be the powerhouse of the off season, with the ability to sign Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford and trade for Zack Greinke. … the only down side? Jon Daniels has been a GENIOUS post 2006 (his first year) but has always been so on a tight budget. Can he still pull of brilliant moves while given the equivalent of a blank check for a kid in a candy store?
Doesn’t he turn 33 in August or something?
I don’t really see this affecting Lee’s situation because that would make no sense. Why would you let Lee who is one of the best pitchers in the game go to sign this guy or even let this affect the situation?
They have a new owner so they’ve definitely got money to spend.