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Archives for December 2013

Guillermo Moscoso Signs With Yokohama Bay Stars

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Right-hander Guillermo Moscoso has agreed to sign with Nippon Professional Baseball's Yokohama Bay Stars, according to a report from Nikkan Sports. Moscoso is a client of Praver/Shapiro.

The 30-year-old posted a 5.10 ERA in 30 innings with a 31-to-21 K/BB ratio for the Giants last season. Moscoso has a 4.28 ERA in 222 2/3 Major League innings, but he's struggled since his 2011 season with the A's in which he posted a 3.38 ERA in 128 frames.

Moscoso began the 2013 season in the Cubs organization but was traded to the Giants for cash in July. San Francisco designated Moscoso for assignment in November, after which he cleared waivers and elected free agency.

Minor Moves: Matt Daley, Chris Narveson

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Here are today's minor moves from around baseball.

  • After non-tendering Matt Daley in early December, the Yankees have agreed to a new minor league deal with the 31-year-old right-hander, per the team's transactions page. Daley pitched well in six innings for the Yankees in 2013 and owns a career 4.38 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 86 1/3 big league innings.
  • Lefty Chris Narveson has signed with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, the Japan Times reports. Narveson pitched in the Brewers' rotation in 2010 and 2011, but missed much of the 2012 and 2013 seasons due to injury. He pitched well this winter for Licey in the Dominican. He will reportedly make $850K plus incentives.

Poll: Which Team Will Sign Masahiro Tanaka?

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The Rakuten Golden Eagles have opted to post star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, and now MLB teams will have a chance to battle it out for the chance to sign an ace. The posting process will begin Thursday morning, and will be done by January 24. Effectively, as Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News notes, any team can negotiate with Tanaka if it’s willing to pay the Golden Eagles a posting fee of $20MM.

Tanaka has chosen Casey Close of Excel Sports Management to represent him. Close represents star Dodgers pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, as well as Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira of the Yankees. In addition to the Dodgers and Yankees, Tanaka has been linked to the Diamondbacks, Cubs, Angels, and Rangers. Not all those teams are equally likely to sign Tanaka, obviously. So have at it — who do you think will get him?

Orioles & Yankees Notes: Tanaka, Rodney, Igawa

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Orioles fans are upset over the team's trade of closer Jim Johnson, and they want the team to become more active in the free-agent market, CSN Baltimore's Rich Dubroff writes. Dubroff suggests that Masahiro Tanaka would be a good target, but even if the Orioles don't aim that high, there should be plenty of starting pitching available, with Ervin Santana, Matt Garza, Ubaldo Jimenez and Bronson Arroyo still on the market. Santana or Jimenez would require the O's to forfeit their first-round draft pick, however, and they likely won't want to do that. Fernando Rodney would be a good choice to replace Johnson at closer, Dubroff argues. Here are more notes on the Yankees and Orioles.

  • The Orioles need to "make a statement" after backing away from their agreement with Grant Balfour, argues MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko. Kubatko suggests that now would be a good time for the Orioles to begin signing free agent pitchers to four- or five-year deals, despite their reluctance to do so in the past.
  • The Yankees need to sign Tanaka to have a good offseason, Richard Justice of MLB.com writes. The Yankees are unlikely to stack up well against their AL East rivals in Boston and Tampa with a rotation headed by C.C. Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan Nova, Justice argues.
  • If the Yankees sign Tanaka, he won't be the first Japanese ace they've acquired, Jay Schreiber and David Waldstein of the New York Times point out. They plucked Kei Igawa from the Hanshin Tigers prior to the 2007 season, paying $20MM plus a $26MM posting fee. Igawa pitched a total of 71 2/3 innings for New York, posting a 6.66 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9. Of course, Tanaka is a different pitcher, with statistical and scouting profiles more convincing than Igawa's. Schreiber and Waldstein point out, however, that Tanaka threw 160 pitches in a recent start, which is certainly a legitimate red flag.

AL West Notes: Rangers, Tanaka, Mariners, Choo

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A look at today's links out of the AL West..

  • Evan Grant of the Dallas News looks at how the Rangers could potentially make a play for Masahiro Tanaka.  While Texas is considered a longshot to land Tanaka thanks to their already hefty payroll, they can’t be totaly counted out.  Grant says, in theory, they could move Alex Rios' $12.5MM salary, sign Tanaka, and move one of their other starters to fill the newly-created hole in the outfield.  A theoretical Derek Holland-for-Brett Gardner swap, for example, might save about another $1.5MM pending the outcome of Gardner’s arbitration situation.  There's also another way to create some breathing room: selling the naming rights to their ballpark.
  • Signing Tanaka without making other moves wouldn't help to fix the Mariners' roster inbalance, tweets Bob Dutton of The News Tribune.  It doesn't seem likely that the M's will get in on Tanaka anyway considering that they are pretty much at capacity in terms of payroll.
  • Rob Neyer of SB Nation spoke with Mike Curto, voice of the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma, about his reaction to the 2006 trade that sent Shin-Soo Choo to the Indians for platoon DH Ben Broussard.

Agents, Executives On Holiday Activity In Baseball

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So far, it has been an entertaining offseason in baseball littered with surprising trades and free agents landing lucrative deals thanks to the influx of new TV money across MLB.  However, there tends to be less deals consummated during the holidays and (never say never, but) we're not likely to see a major transaction go down on Christmas.  That doesn't mean that the business of baseball magically comes to a screeching halt, however.  Agents and executives are still sending texts and making calls as they enjoy Christmas and New Year's Eve with their families.

"When I've had a free agent negotiation in progress, I can recall times that I have been talking to a GM in the back of my in-laws house while he was at the back of his in-laws house," said agent Joe Longo of Paragon Sports International, a firm that represents Mike Napoli, Sergio Santos, and other notable big leaguers.

"We all have families and we're all trying to celebrate the holidays but sometimes you just have to get an update on a free agent when there are four or five teams you're talking to.  Luckily, my family is really understanding.  My wife gets it."

For Giants Vice President Bobby Evans, there's "never a complete shutdown" on business and he told MLBTR last week that his front office will continue to be active through the holiday season.

"There are still quite a few guys out there so I wouldn't be surprised if there was some activity.  Some of it can be put to the side and kept quieter until after the day of Christmas or the New Year but there's still goint to be activity, there are just too many options out there," Evans said, while noting that, in his case, the Giants have already taken care of most of their Christmas shopping list and will instead focus on minor league pickups from this point forward.

While everyone acknowledges that the holidays are a slower time, agent Burton Rocks says that he finds that the stretch between Christmas and New Year's Eve can be a springboard for future activity.  Deals that have stalled, he notes, can be rekindled by reaching out to an executive and wishing them happy holidays.

Meanwhile, one prominent agent says he'll be focusing on negotiations for his arbitration-eligible clients during the holidays.  Of course, he acknowledges that it's still possible for something to come out of left field for one of his free agents before the ball drops.  Things may be a bit quieter during the holidays, but every agent and GM will be keeping their phones handy during their downtime.

Golden Eagles To Post Masahiro Tanaka

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WEDNESDAY, 3:32pm: Tanaka's posting will begin Thursday morning and be completed by January 24th at 4pm CT, a source tells Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).  Teams can place their bids – up to $20MM, of course – starting tomorrow morning (link).

TUESDAY, 9:50pm: Rakuten Golden Eagles president Yozo Tachibana announced that Tanaka will be posted, according to a tweet from Sankei Sports tranlsated by Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links).

9:23pm: The Golden Eagles will announce momentarily that Tanaka will be posted, according to Jim Allen of Kyodo News (on Twitter).

5:35pm: The Rakuten Golden Eagles have decided to post star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, according to reports from Japanese outlets Sponichi (link) and Nikkan Sports (link).  It's a turnaround from reports last week that indicated the Golden Eagles were leaning against allowing Tanaka to make the jump to MLB.

One MLB source tells David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com (on Twitter) that he believes the Cubs will not be outbid for Tanaka's services.  Convincing Tanaka to come to Chicago, however, could prove to be problematic, according to that source.  "This is exactly type deal that Theo [Epstein and] Jed Hoyer will be all in on. However, will Tanaka say no to the [Yankees, Dodgers, and others]? Not sure he will," the source told Kaplan (link).

Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com (Twitter link) adds that the Angels and Diamondbacks – who have been quite vocal about their fondness of Tanaka and overall need for a frontline starter – should also be in the mix for his services.  Tanaka being posted also means good news for other free agent pitchers who have been in a holding pattern as clubs have waited for the top domino to drop.  

Rakuten was planning a record NPB offer for Tanaka – roughly $7.7MM USD – but that's significantly less than what he's expected to get from an MLB club.  One GM recently told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that Tanaka was certain to receive a deal worth more than $100MM if posted.

Per the Sponichi report, team President Yozo Tachibana acknowledged that the process is moving into its final stage.  When asked if the team was set on a decision, Tachibana said, "Yes, it looks that way … We're completing the final procedures."

It seems likely that the Golden Eagles have been dragging their feet in large part because of the reduced posting fee that they would receive under the new system.  While the Japanese clubs holding the rights to predecessors such as Daisuke Matsuzaka and Yu Darvish saw major financial windfalls, the new system caps Rakuten's maximum posting fee at $20MM.

Special thanks to Aaron Steen for his Japanese translation.

Masahiro Tanaka To Be Represented By Casey Close

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Masahiro Tanaka has chosen Casey Close of Excel Sports Management as his agent, according to a report from Sponichi (Japanese link) passed along by Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).  As the MLBTR Agency Database shows, Close also represents Dodgers pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke and Yankees star Derek Jeter, among many other MLB notables.

Last night, Tanaka’s club, the Rakuten Golden Eagles, announced that they will post the star pitcher, allowing him to make the jump from Japan to MLB.  The free agent pitching market has been in somewhat of a holding pattern because of the Japanese sensation.  Once Tanaka puts pen to paper with an MLB club, it’s expected that dominoes will start to fall rapidly for free agent starters such as Matt Garza, Ervin Santana, and Ubaldo Jimenez.

The Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Yankees, and Cubs have been among the clubs most frequently linked to Tanaka, but there should be many more teams with serious interest in landing the 25-year-old.  The team that signs Tanaka will almost certainly have to fork over the maximum $20MM posting fee to his NPB club, but it’s a tax that is well worth paying for those that feel he is far and away the premier pitcher available this winter.

Dodgers Notes: Wright, Colletti, Kemp

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Here's a look at the NL West after the Dodgers finalized deals with free agents Juan Uribe, Chris Perez, J.P. Howell and Jamey Wright on Tuesday..

  • Wright posted a 3.72 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 2012 but the Dodgers didn't re-sign him and watched him have an even better year with the Rays.  It's a wrong that GM Ned Coletti says he's glad to have corrected.  "A lot of times this year I looked up and wished I had been more aggressive bringing him back last year," Colletti said, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.  
  • Wright went into camp on minor league deals in each of the last eight springs, but he got his big league deal this offseason with the Dodgers, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. As an added bonus for the veteran, the $1.8MM deal became official on his 39th birthday.
  • Colletti is confident that Matt Kemp will be ready to play when the Dodgers open their season against the Diamondbacks in Australia on March 22nd, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  Kemp, who has been mentioned frequently in trade rumors thanks to the club's outfield surplus, is recovering from shoulder and ankle operations.

Reactions To Masahiro Tanaka’s Posting

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Finally, after weeks of will they/won't they, Rakuten Golden Eagles president Yozo Tachibana announced late last night that Masahiro Tanaka will be allowed to make the jump to MLB, giving clubs the best Christmas gift they could have hoped for.  Now, the question is, where will Tanaka land?  The latest on the Japanese sensation..

  • According to people with knowledge of the Yankees' thinking, Tanaka has long been an attractive target, especially with a rotation that could use an impact arm, writes Marc Carig of Newsday.  With the retirement of Andy Pettitte, the Yankees are left with just three established starters in CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, and Ivan Nova.  The Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers are also among the clubs expected to make strong plays for Tanaka.
  • According to NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, Rakuten team president Yozo Tachibana acknowledged his reservations about the new posting system but said the team did not want to hold back a star player from a challenge he wishes to embrace, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The new posting system, of course, means that the Golden Eagles can't take in more than the maximum $20MM posting fee.  The 25-year-old is coming off a year in which he went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA in the Japanese Pacific League.
  • The starting pitching market has been largely held up due to clubs waiting on a resolution to the Tanaka situation and we should see some serious movement once he signs with an MLB club, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.
  • "I'm grateful to the team for allowing me to try. Now I've made a first step," Tanaka said, according to the Associated Press. "I hope I would receive offers from as many teams as possible so I have a wider option." 
  • For the Yankees to land Tanaka, they'll have to barrel past the $189MM luxury tax threshold, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger.  Either way, they probably can't reach that goal without a full-season suspension for Alex Rodriguez and they hope to know where they stand with that in early January.
  • “[Nippon Professional Baseball] is becoming a feeder system for the M.L.B.,” Robert Whiting, who has written several books on Japanese baseball, told Ken Belson of the New York Times. “Japanese pro baseball has all but disappeared from prime time network television.”

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