On this date in 2009, catcher Kenji Johjima opted out of the final two years of his contract with the Mariners and forfeited $16MM. He was reportedly unhappy with his reduced playing time and headed home to Japan. Johjima, the first Japanese-born catcher in MLB history, hit .303/.352/.507 with 28 homers for Hanshin Tigers in 2010, but knee and elbow problems limited him to just 62 games over the last two years. The Japan Times reported last month that he will retire after this season due to the injuries. Here is the latest from around the web…
- South Side Sox expects the White Sox to be part of the Alex Rodriguez talks this winter.
- Meanwhile, South Side Showdown doesn't expect the ChiSox to acquire A-Rod.
- Wahoo's on First wonders if the Indians could make a deal for A-Rod.
- Halo Hangout thinks the Angels may be a suitor for A-Rod.
- Amazin' Avenue looked at the cost of signing David Wright to an extension.
- Lone Star Ball says the Rangers failed to make meaningful upgrades at the trade deadline.
- Over The Monster wrote about the idea of trading Jacoby Ellsbury.
- Rising Apple thinks Shin-Soo Choo and Josh Willingham could be fits for the Mets.
- Royals Review wants the Royals roll the dice on Dan Haren if he becomes available.
- Blue Jays Plus wonders where Ricky Romero will end up next season.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness wrote about some outfield options for the Dodgers.
- Lasorda's Lair wonders if the Dodgers will bring Juan Rivera back next year.
- Cole on LA graded the 2012 Dodgers.
- FanSpeak looked ahead to the upcoming Nationals' offseason.
- Redleg Nation broke down the Reds' payroll and contract situations.
- Burning Dowm the Yard says that Orioles manager Buck Showalter deserves an extension.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.
“…wonders if the Indians could make a deal for A-Rod.”
I’m going to go ahead and say NO. Putting aside the fact that A-Rod says he does not want to be traded and would invoke 10-and-5, putting aside the fact that the Yankees would never send along enough money to make A-Rod’s contract palatable to a small market team loath to pay more than $5MM a year for new acquisitions, putting aside issues about his personality or ongoing decline, there is also the small matter of why a team trying to build for the future would have any interest in acquiring a 37 year-old with five years left on his deal.
The Question is. At this point in his career… why would A-Rod even consider going to a place like Cleveland?
it hurts to not be wanted.
I wouldn’t say he isn’t wanted in fact many teams would probably love to have a player of A-Rod’s caliber in the lineup but they are not willing to pay what he is earning and therefore aren’t match.
you misunderstood.
the question was why would he waive his no trade clause, and my comment meant that he would simply because he wouldn’t want to stay where he is not wanted
Ohhh, ok your comment makes much more sense now. My Bad.
This is the equivalent of that awkward nerdy kid with acne walking up to a hot girl in school and saying “I don’t want you, because you’re stuck up.”. It still doesn’t stop that nerdy kid from dreaming about her every night.
i understand an independent blogger trying to put a ‘local’ spin on a hot topic, but there is negative chance that ARod to the Injuns is of any interest among all concerned. OK, there would be for the Yanks if, you know, Clev was Star!Star!struck enough to send them a Lonnie Chisenhall or Francisco Lindor.
“Royals Review wants the Royals roll the dice on Dan Haren if he becomes available.” Because that’s what the Royals really need to do now – gamble. DM doesn’t have a great history on gambles paying off…so I’d say he’s not an option, because he’s going to want more than he’s worth and the team’s payroll can’t support pricey gambles. Good luck in NY Dan.
He’s not really a gamble as a player who is just coming off one bad year. He’s probably the best rebound candidate of any player going into free agency with an extreme upside to what he could contribute.
The reports on A-Rod are a bit conflicting. First he said he isn’t going anywhere, on the other hand writers have said that his close friends say he would as long as its another WS caliber team. And there are problems with both of those possible resolutions. For one thing the Yankees have very little leverage for a return because of his contract, and even less because the list of suitors he would accept is tiny. So they are gonna have to eat a ton just to have a shot at something. Problem with staying is if A-Rods production and health stays at these levels he is gonna lose playing time and WISH he had been traded anywhere. I would bet he stays and loses playing time.
Loses playing time to who?
What I said above is if his health and production stays at these current levels (Medicore) he will lose some time. Honestly I would not be surprised to see Chavez back, maybe shift Nunez in there on occasion, Reynolds might also be an interesting option (If he leaves Baltimore), Jeter (super doubtful). The best thing for A-Rod would be extra rest, and shifting him to DH for the majority of his at-bats though, which still means he will probably lose some playing time.
No Mark Reynolds please. Low average, Ton of strikeouts, atrocious defense from 3B…. no thanks.
I thought you were describing A-Rod for a second there….
Except A-Rod hit .274 and plays solid defense at Third
Just teasing brother… Nothing like kicking a man while he’s down to make me feel better about myself
Arod won’t lose playing time. If chavez comes back he will still be a part time player. Arod will start most days at 3rd, and some days at DH. He is still above average at 3rd even at this point.