FEB 13: Having gone unclaimed, the Blue Jays released Yamaguchi, per Scott Mitchell of TSN Sports (via Twitter). They will nevertheless remain on the hook for the $3.175MM owed to Yamaguchi this season.
FEB 11: The Blue Jays have designated right-hander Shun Yamaguchi for assignment, tweets Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae. The team hasn’t formally announced the move, though it’s listed on their transactions log at MLB.com. It seems that’ll create roster space for last night’s reported waiver pickup of righty Joel Payamps.
Toronto signed Yamaguchi, 33, to a two-year deal worth a guaranteed $6.35MM last offseason. The former Yomiuri Giants and Yokohama BayStars righty had a 14-year run of success in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, working both as an effective closer and a high-quality rotation piece at various points of his career there. Through 1080 1/3 NPB frames, Yamaguchi notched a tidy 3.35 ERA (3.22 if you exclude his ugly NPB debut as a teenager) with 112 saves, a 23.1 percent strikeout rate and a 9.1 percent walk rate.
The Blue Jays used Yamaguchi out of the bullpen exclusively in 2020, and the results simply never came through as the team hoped. The right-hander appeared in 17 games and yielded at least one run in 10 of those outings. His overall 8.06 ERA is skewed to some extent by a seven-run implosion at Yankee Stadium, but even setting that aside Yamaguchi’s ERA still would’ve clocked in north of 5.00. His 21.7 percent strikeout rate, meanwhile, was a bit below par, while his 14.2 percent walk rate was well north of the league average.
Yamaguchi is still owed $3.175MM in 2021, and the Jays will have to eat that salary. They have a week to trade him, run him throughout outright waivers or simply release him, though it’s difficult to imagine any club taking on Yamaguchi’s salary — particularly at a time when most teams have been overwhelmingly stingy about their budgets.
Dam, not the gooch man
great move but why not include tanner as well and go sign what we need to be a factor this year walker Paxton Shoemaker or arietta
then we will compete
I’d rather roll the dice on Paxton or Walker. If Arrieta will go to the AL East, he will go back to being the Arrieta from Baltimore all over again. He will never be as good as he was on the Cubs ever again.
Arrieta to Cubs
Paxton to Mariners
Shoemaker going back to Angels
Walker to Tigers
I like this move. Kudos to the Blue Jays seeing a players results as unacceptable. Too bad more teams don’t have the courage to add to their team by subtraction. Nice to see a team paying out a guys salary and moving on to better things.
good buy low pickup
He’ll probably be released and be available for league minimum.
Can he decline assignment if he clears waivers? I dont know how it works if they sign as an international FA but he doesnt have much MLB service time.
I think it’s just whats negotiated. They weren’t allowed to option him off the roster last year.
Without his permission.
I think he’ll go back to Japan after clearing waivers. A team there would pay him more than the minimum and he can draw two paychecks at once.
He can’t do that unless he is fully released from his contract. If Toronto wants him to stay in AAA, he’ll have to do so in order to earn his $3M+ salary. Given the instability of the 2020 season, they have to hold some hope that he can turn things around in the minors this year and contribute at the major league level sometime later in the season.
He has been released. He doesn’t work for the Blue Jays anymore, they merely pay him.
You can’t send a guy with a major league contract to the minors after taking him off the 40 man roster. That’s why they had to release him instead. If you could do that, nobody on an expensive contract would ever get released.
Shun was shunned.
And here for this, thank you!
lmao
So the Blue Jays are no longer interested in him.
One lump or two: Ball-face has nine lives!
A smart decision if this was to make room for Walker. Or Paxton. Or a trade for a starting pitcher.
It was to make room for that scrub they picked up off waivers.
That scrub they picked off waivers > Yamaguchi.
This is unlikely, but they are both bad. My point is yes he should be DFA’d but no that spot shouldnt be used for another scrub.
You made my point; don’t pick up the scrub and sign a real pitcher. But thanks.
I agree. At the bare minimum, they need to at least try to get Walker back.
Exactly Frank. I have no problem dropping Yamaguchi. But do it for a player (pitcher) that is without a shadow of a doubt part of your rotation or Major League roster.
Agreed. Dropping Yamaguchi for Joel Polyps or whatever his name is, was dumb. They needed to drop him if they signed someone for the middle or top of the rotation.
For that investment, Shun deserved another chance. They should’ve DFA’ed Fisher. He has been absolute garbage. The only saving grace from that trade is Sanchez and Biagini haven’t done anything for the Astros.
Agreed Frank. I doubt Yamaguchi will be picked up and he’ll go to AAA Buffalo. I’m all for DFA’ing Yamaguchi but do it where you’re acquiring a player worth starting on your roster.
Both of those guys are not in Houston anymore.
Exactly. That’s why that trade isn’t terrible for the Jays.
its clear now that Fisher must have compromising pictures of someone in the Jays organziation.
Fisher has athleticism, size, strength and the ability to catch balls with his face. What’s holding him back is mental, not physical. I’d rather see Davis on the team over Fisher because Davis is the superior defender in CF.
Fisher is a left handed batter which the jays have very few of. That’d be my guess for why he’s still on the roster.
I dont even know what to say about this move, freeing up a 40 man roster is great and all, but why are we using that spot for Joel Payamps?? Are we trying to contend in mlb or AAA? Confused by this move, we need to add a legitimate sp we have enough number 5 sp already. Jays need to aim higher and look to make a trade for a number 2 starter preferably before the season starts and not at the deadline.
Thank you Rowdy. My point exactly. If the Jays land a starter in the next day or two they will drop Payamps, right? So why bother with all this?
Meanwhile Fisher is still on the roster.
Because assuming Shun goes to AAA and if they manage to sneak Payamps through waivers after signing a legitimate starter then they’ve managed to add an additional depth starter for free. If they don’t sneak him through then they’re still back where they started and no worse off. Also, look at Payamps recent minor league numbers. Nothing to scoff at
He can decline AAA assignment, not sure how that works with his salary though I suppose Jays just pay him and he can sign elsewhere for league minimum.
boknows
Is Payamps a starter?
Jays won a waiver claim to acquire him. That suggests others were interested. He won’t sneak thru if that is true.
You putting Payamps in the starting rotation on a team claiming to contend for a division title?
No Bo.
A shame people upvoted your comment. Asking the Jays to aim higher is not much to ask.
Was wondering how long after significant moves it would take for the “Jays aren’t trying” trolls to feel safe to come back out. A week, apparently. Impressive.
Infractor with a swing and miss on the actual point. Blue Jays just signed David Phelps and that could’ve been the Yamaguchi move. Or an actual SP. Nothing to do with the Jays aren’t trying. Nobody said that. It’s clear they are trying by their offseason.
I doubt he would decline. Shun is the Jays’ very own Kei Igawa. He will go to the Bisons and we will never hear about him again.
WereAllJustGuestsHere – I suggest you read through some of the comments. People suggesting they aim higher because they made a back of the 40 man roster move is ludicrous. Toronto fans complain every time the team makes a move, They complain that Springer got 6 years, or that Fisher didn’t get DFA’d over someone else. They complain when they trade 3 players with little value to get a guy that could improve the rotation because they have heard the name Sean Reid Foley for 5 years and are still convinced he is the next Scherzer.
Mystery – what is your point, exactly? Do you have a problem with me somehow saying that the Jays should be dropping Yamaguchi for a player that will be guaranteed a spot on the big club next year? Is that too controversial?
I do not understand where you are going with your point as you make claims despite not actually telling me I am wrong over the process of Yamaguchi and some dude nobody hear of before February.
what is my point? Hmmmm. you said the guy swung and missed on his assessment that Blue Jays fans are already back to calling the front office dumpster divers or not trying. I literally just gave you examples of Toronto fans already complaining.
So I guess my point is, and it should have been quite obvious to someone with half a brain, that fans are indeed already claiming the front office isn’t trying based on picking up Payamps instead of someone else that would be better.
your original comment literally made reference to fans asking the front office to aim higher, which is exactly what I referenced. Even after the off season they had, you chose to complain that they added a waiver claim that you had never heard of, like his claim means they aren’t able to sign any other players.
Me saying aim higher is for the front office, not the fans. That should have been obvious to you.
“Asking the Jays to aim higher is not much to ask.”
That was not a reference to the fans as you claim. Not even close
The swing and miss part….you missed that one too. Guy misinterpreted my point. Never did I say the team wasn’t trying. Team signed Springer, Semien, Yates…..they are trying. Agree or disagree with the methods and approach, that’s the question.
Very insulting to suggest “someone with a half a brain” should be able to guess how incorrect and inaccurate you take is. You are 0-2, wanna make it a strikeout looking?
No one misinterpreted your point, that is just you backpedaling.
“Asking the Jays to aim higher is not much to ask.”
Who other than fans are asking the front office to do anything?
You did not say anything about Springer or any player in your original comment. People do not read minds and try to decipher what you meant to say, they read what you wrote and respond based on your words. Not some imagined other meaning that you believe you were trying to make.
Maybe you should learn to articulate a point in full.
The best part is you obviously responded to my comment without reading and understanding what I said or what I was referencing. But again, that is where the half brain comment comes from
Mystery you made a bad assumption. When you are ready to think like an adult please do so. Do not ask me to articulate a point you cannot fathom or make a valid point with rational thought. Nothing to understand except to imply your first post was absolutely off the mark.
And, stop using race in your handle. Don’t need any more divisiveness from you.
Mystery 1 – Guests 0
Yup stop the damn fight herb dean. Herb dean is notorious at this point for allowing absolute beat downs. I dunno how wereallguestshere comes back from that beatdown. It’s clear he lacks knowledge already so that repeated head trauma he suffered is not good.
Good stoppage at 258 last night I thought!
They freed up a spot for Payamps, but he is just keeping the seat warm until someone else better comes along. I would expect that they will put Payamps back on the wire in a week when other teams 40 man’s are more full, and try and sneak him down to AAA.
That’s logical. I’m expecting that too. Still holding out hope for Walker or the big maple!
well if they really want to compete while red sox are weak then they should sign both the pitchers you mentioned
Good point Paul.
Even better. I can’t see that happening though.
He spends 14 years pitching in his home country, comes to the U.S. for the first time after a very successful year in 2019 as a starter. Not only is the season disrupted by Covid and there’s no activity for 3 1/2 months but he’s adjusting to a new country, a new league, a new role and dealing with covid protocols.
I’d say heck yeah, he’s a guy worth a look in spring training as a starter where he’s had his most recent success. David Stearns are you listening?
that is true but do you think they did that to release him or hope he slips thru waivers so they can hide him and allow them to sign starters as i said so they can compete
what do you think they need to do to bolster the rotation who would you want them to sign
i think they need 2 starters
14 year track history, can be had for league minimum.
Would be a good idea for him and the Angels to come here where he’ll have a legitimate shot to make the team.
I’d have to think he’d return to Japan over taking the league min.
He’s going to get his $3 million. Any other MLB team who signs him will only have to pay $550k of that amount, though. So the Angels, who need depth, could bring him into camp and at worst pay him league minimum if he pans out. Or cut him and really lose nothing.
Why settle for $3 million in MLB when you can make $2 million in Japan while still making $3 million to not play in MLB for a total of $5 million? He’s simply worth more in Japan, where his track record is one of success instead of failure. Plus it’s his home country where his family presumably lives during a period of time when international travel is difficult, and it’s safer for his health in Japan, and he’s probably in Japan already right now so why leave.
Not sure why that’s hard for people to figure out.
Finally, i was hoping he wouldn’t be Derek Fisher 2.0. And by that, i mean keeping a 40 man spot way past when he should.
Yamaguchi was never going to be a starter in MLB like the Sportsnet and Atkins both said he could when he was signed. In fact, at that time we heard he could be a good reliever. And he still can be a good reliever in MLB. Someone will pick him up.
The real question is why not cut Fisher instead? Or Roark? Or Waguespack? Or Zeuch? Or, or, or.
This team still needs another Elite starter. Oh wait-a-minute The BlueJays just signed David Phelps. Problem solved. Sarcasm heavy.
A good reliever needs one great pitch or a couple of really good pitches. Yamaguchi has a starter’s arsenal of many okay pitches. He can’t cut it as a starter in MLB, but he showed last year he certainly doesn’t have the stuff to cut it in the bullpen either. His fastball is just way too hitable, and his velocity doesn’t play up enough in the pen.
Shun could be a very good reliever.
Why? He comes in in a awful situation, a covid epidemic, Shun is in a foreign country, can’t speak the language, taking a giant step forward in competetion, doesn’t know how to pitch in the big leagues yet, he is at a field not expected and under quarantine.
I would say it might take him half a normal season to adjust, not the 60 covid games. Yes he could still be a very good reliever in the big leagues. Yes he does have the stuff.
Based on what? other then your non scout eyes of course.
Hm… Red Sox gonna swing in and get him.
DFA a guy after less than 30 innings seems a bit odd. Maybe the Jays know something?
If he’s healthy, Yamaguchi would be a great buy-low option for the A’s — who still need bullpen arms.
When a great arm like Payamps comes along you can’t say no?
It was a dumb move by the bluejays, they could have at least waived him after Spring to see what he has got with a proper spring. I guess there are only 40 roster spots to go around but since you are paying him anyways he is probably better than a few of the fringe guys they are carrying.
Addition by subtraction. You can take our money but you have to stop taking away our leads! My guess is he returns to Japan. I don’t think a team will give him another shot nor do I think they should.
i think he could get a Minors deal but probably goes back to the NBP for the guaranteed money.
He’ll be in San Diego for a physical tomorrow
I think it’s unfortunate when teams bring Japanese players over and then give up on them so quickly. I mean to be fair he was REALLY bad last season BUT it was only 18 games… and he had to not only deal with coming to a new county, but also playing through a pandemic and having to start, stop and start spring training. Idk maybe he really just isn’t good enough to pitch in the majors. But i think he deserves to be given somewhat of a benefit of the doubt and another shot at it should he come into spring training/AAA and put things together.
I agree, A lot of foreign pitchers take time to adjust to MLB, some up to a year, and he was mostly a starter before he came over but did do some closing, I think.. They need starting pitching and they have to pay the guy anyway so why not take a look in ST now that he had some time to adjust, see how he fared as a starter. If he bombs release him. They will need the roster spots then anyway for non roster invitees they plan on keeping. They had nothing to lose and they have other guys they could have released, I mean this was only done to put a wavier claim on the roster while keeping Fisher (who has since been DFAed.).
Obviously they did have something to lose, other players, so that’s kind of a silly statement. Clearly they prefer who they kept/claimed over having Yamaguchi for one more year, so it would’ve been a loss for them to keep him.
And it’s not as if spring innings just grow on trees, there’s only so many of them to go around. Giving him innings would’ve meant less innings available for other rotation candidates, and the Jays have a lot of them to look at this spring that have greater potential than Shun.
Agree completely. The leashes players form Asia receive are short. In ways it’s understandable — they’re coming from high-level leagues with in most cases, quite a bit of experience, so expecting them to contribute immediately is fair. But at the same time, they do have a lot of adjusting to do — from style of play, usage, coaching, and then of course, arriving in an entirely different culture. Besides that, giving up on a guy after 25.2 innings during, like you said, an extremely abnormal season is a bit odd.
If any MLB team is willing to offer an MLB deal then he should stick around. Ideally, the Pirates would sign him but he’d be better off monetarily by signing with an NPB team.
The real question is whether or not Shun can decline his assignment to AAA and still get paid. In some cases, players have to accept the option to the minors in order to still get paid. It depends on the type of contract he has I guess. If he has a clause that says Toronto cannot option him to the minors then Toronto will have to release him (and still pay him) if he doesn’t agree to go. But if he doesn’t have that provision in his contract then he’ll need to accept their option to the minors in order to still get paid his full salary. He wouldn’t be able to return to Japan and still get paid if that is the case.
That’s not a real question. He was released. International free agents (who weren’t below the cutoff age when signing like Gurriel or Ohtani or that guy the Red Sox wasted a fortune one) can’t be optioned. Their team can’t control them through arbitration beyond the length of their contract either.
Looking for a serious answer
Why just cut a guy if he cleared waivers?
Why not park him at AAA?
Your paying him anyways
Is this a token gesture so he can go cal to Japan and jays hope that buys them good will down the road in the pacific rim?
Seriously?
He can refuse an outright assignment to AAA, which I assume he has, so he was becoming a FA either way. Which is why they have just gone and cut him.
Bad control and a 90 mph fastball as a reliever won’t do much for you. I think it’s about what he threw as a starter in Japan, so maybe he wasn’t maxing out like some people do in the pen. Wouldn’t be shocked if someone takes a flyer as a starter hoping he can get his control down in the majors, or can get a little more gas in the pen going forward, also wouldn’t be shocked if he heads back to Japan.
The Blue Jays shunned him
I just wish this was a “Tanner Roark released” discussion.