As the open market standstill continues here in North America, some notes out of Japan that have some minor big league implications…
- In a move that flew under our radar here at MLBTR, right-hander Tanner Scheppers signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball midway through January, the team announced at the time. The longtime Rangers righty has appeared in each of the past six seasons with Texas, totaling 183 innings with a 4.23 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. Elbow issues cost him much of the 2014 season, though, and he’s since been slowed by ankle and knee injuries. Overall, Scheppers has tossed just 12 2/3 innings in the Majors across the past two seasons.
- Right-hander Hideaki Wakui — a free-agent right-hander known to have interest in exploring a possible move to the Major Leagues — has re-signed with the Marines, the team announced this week (via the Japan Times). The 31-year-old won the 2009 Sawamura Award in Japan (the NPB’s Cy Young equivalent) but isn’t coming off one of his best seasons, having pitched to the second-highest ERA of his career in 2017 (3.99). Wakui has been both a closer and a starter but has made at least 25 starts in each of the past four seasons. Wakui has a career 3.45 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9 in more than 2000 innings as a pro in Japan. The Marines announced that he’s returning on a one-year deal, so it’s possible that he could gauge interest from MLB clubs once again next winter.
easy answer: if Wakui pitches the way he has there won’t be any MLB deals coming his way.
I don’t know about that. The Cubs rotation is very thin.
Psssf
No it isn’t what are you talking about
Don’t feed the troll.
The first Mlbtr article posted during the Superbowl.
It’s a crazy one, Eagles up 22-19, and it is 1 degrees.
$7.7M for a 30 second commercial.
“Why should I care?! I hate football!! This is about baseball!”
The conclusion of SB, speeds up the slow MLB offseason. (My wild prediction)
It’s an indoor stadium. Baseball should clearly adopt a salary cap like football has, to insure parity. I mean, this is New England’s like 6th Super Bowl in ten years and another team – with the same payroll went 0-16 this season. Meanwhile, in MLB the last 5 World Series have been won by a different team, and the last three years have featured six different teams. That’s parity.
I wasn’t going to say anything else on this topic out of respect to Steve but,
Philadelphia Eagles won their first Superbowl, beating the heavily favored Patriots, 41-33.
You were saying? Stuff like this happens in NBA right?
LeBron Going to 7 straight NBA finals? (Probly going to be 8 straight, 2018) Warriors going to 3 straight finals. (Probly going to be 4 straight, 2018)
Anyone who heavily favoured the Pats going into the game clearly didn’t know much about football. And I say this as a Pats fan who was betting on the Eagles to win.
I guess the Associated Press doesn’t know anything about football. I was literally quoting their announcement
The guy Eagles were playing, won 5 SB.. Eagles nevsr won 1. Also to win NE’s most recent one, he had to overcome a 28-3 deficit at halftime. Patriots are no joke. Their QB was trying to break the all-time record time SB record (tied at 5)
“BREAKING: Philadelphia Eagles win first ever Superbowl, holding off favored Patriots 41-33…”
link to mobile.twitter.com
Had NE won, they would’ve set a new record, with 6 Superbowl Championships (their QB won 5)
They were playing an underdog Eagles team, playing with their backup QB.
This was an upset. And I say this as a Jets fan…
Actually the Steelers have won 6!
Yes, but I was talking about record for Superbowls won by an individiual.
He was tied at 5. I like baseball more than football, but I also like history. I hope 10 years down the line, if this article is archived, we can all laugh that this article was written during a very exciting Superbowl, during a painfully slow off season, with all due respect to Steve, Who I think hates me because I hijacked his thread.
Sorry, Steve!
Update: Eagles up 29-26.
Temperature below Freezing, wind chill feels -3 degrees, F
I saw Jimmy Fallon, Bradley Cooper, and Floyd Mayweather on my TV.
Final post of the night, because Steve probably wants to ban me.
Patriots up 33-32. (First Lead of game)
9:22 left in 4th.
They are playing in a dome, but game shattered the coldest Superbowl record.
Superbowl total-yard record broken, after 3 quarters.
Signing out.
Update: football sucks.
Perhaps, but my argument to Davidcoonce, I like its system better than NBA, think it offers more parity.
Salary Caps suck in general, but if I had to pick one, it would be NFL’s.
The MLB de-facto cap, as a result of the lux tax ($197) is very close to the NFL actual salary cap. ($178)
Ofc, this is only in theory, and may not work.
Just a humble man, offering his opinion ^.^ to Davidcoonce.
This is a BASEBALL site, NOT football. Post this crap elsewhere you troll
Best day of the year to buy a suit, FYI. Thanks for posting an article, with the Warriors not playing today, there are no sporting events worth watching,
Who !!??!!?!? Haha
I apologize, Steve. I never went off-topic like that before.
I hope you’re not mad. No disrespect intended.
(You can remove my comments, I won’t be angry, at all)
I hope my comments here made you laugh (somewhat) my intentions were pure. I’m Just trying to bring Levity into the Slowest, off-season, in recent memory.
Heck, seems like Japan is having a faster-paced offseason than MLB, article would seem to suggest. (Scheppers signing in Japan, and Wakui considering coming Japan most action I’ve seen in a while)
I stand by my bold MLB offseason Post-SB prediction 🙂
It will pick up, after February 4.
Thanks for all that you do, Steve!
Don’t beat yourselves up about missing the Scheppers deal. Nobody cares. Well, maybe his family…maybe.