Golden Eagles To Post Masahiro Tanaka
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
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
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
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.”
Jeff Samardzija Wants To Stay With Cubs
Jeff Samardzija doesn’t have Twitter and he doesn’t check MLBTradeRumors, but he knows his name has been thrown all over the web in trade rumors, writes Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com. The soon-to-be 29-year-old pitcher hears the questions all the time, but he's not so sure that he's on his way out of Chicago.
“This is strictly just a feel, (but) I don’t think it’s as dire as what it’s all being made out to be,” Samardzija told Mooney in a sit-down interview. “I understand things need to be written and stories need to be put on paper. But I think if you look at the whole picture, it’s been pretty mild with everything that’s going on. They’re listening and that’s what any team would do on any player. I just feel like there’s still that common ground of what we both want to do.”
For his part, Samardzija says that he wants to stay with the Cubs. While some might be discouraged by the team's recent struggles, he says he wants to help build a winner in Chicago and look back on the leaner years and smile.
Samardzija is aware that there are non-baseball factors that can play into his future with the Cubs, but he says he's not actively thinking about that. The Cubs are pushing to renovate Wrigley Field in order to increase their revenue, but they can't get underway just yet over fear of litigation from the rooftop owners from outside the park.
As for the contract negotiations with the club, Samardzija feels as though everything has been cordial and professional, even if there's a noticeable gap that needs to be bridged. The right-hander would argue that his 214 strikeouts across 213.2 innings in 2013 is just the beginning of what he can do. The Cubs, meanwhile, would point out that even though he's still on the right side of 30, there's extra mileage on his arm thanks to his Notre Dame football background. Theo Epstein also has a policy of not giving out no-trade clauses, which could also affect talks.
Multiple industry sources believe the Cubs will let the free agent market play out and see what happens with the top pitchers, including Masahiro Tanaka, before pulling the trigger on any Samardzija deal. In the interim, Samardzija has been working out at the new Cubs complex in Mesa, Arizona.
“[I'm there] every day, man,” Samardzija said. “I figure if they need to get a hold of me for something, that’s the best place to be. I can still get in the doors – as of now – and I still get the free coffee. So everything’s all right.”
East Notes: A-Rod, Red Sox, Orioles, Marlins
Earlier today, we learned that a return to the Phillies is possible for Ryan Madson as there is mutual interest from both sides of the table. Madson inked a one-year deal with the Reds before the 2012 season but underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire campaign. He then signed a one-year, $3.5MM contract with the Angels last winter, but he never made it to the mound for the Halos and was ultimately released. Madson has never pitched for anyone at the major league level other than Philly and he could keep that up in the New Year. Here's more out of the AL and NL East..
- Sometimes, the best trades are the ones that you don't make and that's especially true when considering the non-deal that would have sent Alex Rodriguez to the Red Sox with Manny Ramirez and Jon Lester going to the Rangers, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. A-Rod wanted to play in Boston and agreed to shave down his monster contract to help facilitate the trade, but the Players Association rejected the compromise. That ultimately put the kibosh on the swap and while Boston fans were peeved at the time, the BoSox were probably better off with Manny and Lester.
- Tommy Hunter wants to start for the Orioles, but he also wouldn't mind taking over the role of closer if they're unable to land someone in free agency, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. The O's are said to have their eye on Fernando Rodney in the wake of the Grant Balfour agreement falling through, but his price tag could be too rich for their blood.
- The Marlins may not have landed a prototypical middle of the order slugger, but their offseason moves have certainly given the lineup some needed balance, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Free agents Garrett Jones and Jarrod Saltalamacchia should offer left-handed hitting pop to a team that finished last in the majors in homers last year.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter) hears that there was never any interest between the Braves and Bronson Arroyo. Earlier today, Arroyo told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that, contrary to rumors, he never got a one-year offer from the Reds and denied ever coming close to an agreement with the Twins.
Ned Colletti On Tanaka, Perez, Relievers
The Dodgers made a host of signings official today and GM Ned Colletti spoke to reporters about a variety of topics this afternoon. A look at some of the highlights..
- The Dodgers wouldn't commit on whether the club will pursue Masahiro Tanaka if he's posted, tweets Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Los Angeles has long been said to be high on the Japanese sensation.
- Colletti says he's "pretty much done" for the offseason unless something especially appealing presents itself, Gurnick tweets. However, a utility infielder is a possibility.
- The GM met with Chris Perez at the WInter Meetings and came away with no qualms about signing him despite his previous marijuana arrest, tweets Gurnick.
- Colletti said he's not stockpiling relievers with the intention of trading them, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
Dodgers Re-Sign Juan Uribe
DECEMBER 24th, : Uribe gets a $2MM signing bonus with $6.5MM in year one and $6.5MM in year two, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
4:30pm: The Dodgers confirmed the signing.
DECEMBER 14th, 7:17pm: Uribe will receive $15MM in the deal, ESPN's Buster Olney tweets.
3:52pm: The Dodgers are set to re-sign Juan Uribe to a two-year deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Uribe is represented by Praver/Shapiro, according to the MLBTR Agency Database. Financial terms of the deal are not yet known.
Earlier today, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said that he was hopeful that he could bring the third baseman back to Los Angeles. It was a mild surprise to hear that given the reports indicating that the Dodgers were set to move on after a lack of responsiveness from Uribe's side to their latest offer. The Dodgers were said to be seeking a one-year deal with an option for year two but it would appear that the veteran has secured two guaranteed years.
Uribe hit .273/.331/.438 for the Dodgers last season, a dramatic improvement over the .199/.262/.289 line he gave L.A. in the previous two campaigns. The new deal keeps the 34-year-old in a comfortable spot – he's spent the last three years in L.A. and thanks to stints in Colorado and San Francisco, he's spent all but five of his 13 big league seasons in the NL West.
Uribe made over 100 starts for the Dodgers in 2013 and was incredibly valuable, posting the fourth-best WAR among all free agents. It's a far cry from his position prior to the '13 season when some wondered if the Dodgers might look to cut Uribe and eat the $7MM remaining on his deal.
The Dodgers were looking at re-signing Michael Young to be their everyday third baseman as a contingency plan and while he could still return to L.A., it would appear that he'd have to sign on in a different role. The Marlins and Rays were also among the clubs with interest in Uribe.
MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted that Uribe would land a two-year, $12MM deal at the outset of the offseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Bronson Arroyo
The free agent pitching market is largely on hold due to the pending decision on whether Masahiro Tanaka will be posted. One of the starters left in a holding pattern is veteran Bronson Arroyo, who tells ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that he's anxiously waiting for his phone to ring with a strong opportunity.
While it was previously rumored that the Reds offered him a one-year deal, Arroyo says that never happened. Arroyo, 37 in February, also denies that he was ever close to an agreement with the Twins. However, Crasnick notes that the Reds could still ultimately be in the mix for him and we heard earlier today that the Twins have maintained dialogue with the free agent hurler.
Minnesota's interest in Arroyo has been known for some time, but they've already committed about $84MM to Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes, and Mike Pelfrey this offseason. The Reds, meanwhile, need pitching depth, but they could be wary of the price tag on one of baseball's most durable pitchers. Arroyo is the only pitcher in baseball to make at least 32 starts per year from 2005 through 2013.
Many scouts and evaluators think Arroyo would be better served pitching in the National League than the American, but his performance in hitter-friendly Great American Park has made him confident that he can survive anywhere. Arroyo would prefer the East Coast to the West Coast, but he says that's not a deal-breaker by any means.
"There's no point in me really thinking about where my perfect place is, because I don't know who's interested," Arroyo told Crasnick. "It's like going to a party and the whole premise is to find a wife. There are ten girls there, and three of them are smoking hot, but they don't even look in your direction twice, so there's no point in going after them. Then maybe somebody else comes along who didn't seem so attractive at first, and you like what she's saying and you think, 'Hey, maybe this is the one.' That's the way I see it. I can't pick and choose teams. They have to choose me, and I realize it could take a long time for them to get where they need to be. I've been fine, but if it's January 15th and I'm still spinning my wheels, I'll probably change my tune."
Yankees Interested In Grant Balfour
The Yankees have shown interest in closer Grant Balfour in the wake of his deal with the Orioles coming apart, a source tells Kevin Kernan of the New York Post. Balfour, of course, had a two-year, $15MM deal ironed out with Baltimore before the club backed out of the deal over concern about his shoulder.
The Yankees want to give David Robertson the shot to earn the closer’s role but adding Balfour would give them an experienced ninth-inning option. Robertson believes that he is prepared to take over Mariano Rivera's position but is also willing to be the eight-inning option again if that's what the Yankees want him to do.
While the O's apparently saw something that they didn't like, Balfour insists that he is healthy and says that he has "at least" one offer on the table with three other clubs interested. Balfour, who turns 36 next Monday, posted a 2.59 ERA with 10.3 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 on his way to a first career All-Star selection in 2013.