The TANAKA Thread

Yankees could be out on Tanaka based upon the last comments of Cashman in which he said this:


The Yankees are likely to bid for Masahiro Tanaka, if he's made available to them. But GM Brian Cashman suggests that the Yankees could also simply go with what they have in the back of their rotation, Jorge Castillo of the Star-Ledger reports. "We’re focusing solely on what’s available in the marketplace," says Cashman. "And also recognizing and restating that we might not get everything answered with an exclamation point or the comfort level that we’d prefer."

The signing of Shin-Soo Choo means the Rangers won't be players for Masahiro Tanaka, should he be posted, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

 

Like we would let the fucking Diamondbacks outbid us.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on...kuten-golden-eagles-will-post-masahiro-tanaka

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/12/golden-eagles-to-post-masahiro-tanaka.html

 

^ i know its the same thing but for us lazy guys...

Report: Masahiro Tanaka will be posted by Rakuten Golden Eagles

By Mark Townsend6 hours agoBig League Stew​

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(USA Today)
According to reports out of Japan that have been translated by Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times, the Rakuten Golden Eagles have decided to post prized right-hander Masahiro Tanaka and make him available for bidding by all 30 MLB teams.

The reported decision comes after weeks of false starts and second guesses by Rakuten following MLB's decision to implement a new posting system that caps bids at $20 million. The new system allows more teams to get involved in the bidding, but will cost Rakuten millions of dollars as past players such as Yu Darvish received bids exceeding $50 million. The demand for the 25-year-old Tanaka likely would have put his bid in that territory, so it’s understandable why Rakuten was upset and therefore hesitant to post.
Ultimately, though, they decided to do right by Tanaka and honor his wishes to pitch in the United States.
From the Los Angeles Times:

“Evaluating Tanaka's contributions in the seven years since joining the franchise, owner Hiroshi Mikitani accepted his wish to challenge himself in the major leagues and decided to petition for him to be posted,” Golden Eagles President Yozo Tachibana said, according to Japanese news reports.​

Once the bids are submitted, the highest bidder will win exclusive negotiating rights with Tanaka. In the case of a tie, which is likely considering how reasonable the new capped fee is, Tanaka will be free to negotiate with the highest bidding teams. Only the team he signs with will pay Rakuten the bidding fee while the others will have their bids returned.
A contract at or above $100 million is awaiting Tanaka once the bidding process goes through. The New York Yankees are considered strong favorites to land his services, but it's reported other teams like the Chicago Cubs will also go all-in on their bids. In other words, Tanaka will have plenty of options to consider and a lot of money to count when his day comes.

 

Now that phase 1 is FINALLY over let the games begin!!! If we don't get him I hope the Cubs do because they are no threat to us and it will be good for the city although I am sure he wont go there because of Wrigley. At the very least this will get this free agent pitching market to perk up and will most definitely keep the rumor mill from grtting stagnant.

 

Agent: Masahiro san the Diamondbacks are bidding for you.

Tanaka: Who the fuck is that?

 

Agent: But they have a pool in their ballpark.

Tanaka: Can just anybody jump in?

 

Agent: if you play on the dodgers and clinch in the division there.

Tanaka: where do I sign?

 

Report: Masahiro Tananka will be posted Thursday
by Chris Cwik | CBSSports.com
Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka's posting process will begin Thursday, according to the New York Daily News.
Tanaka's negotiation period will end January 24. Teams may bid $20 million to negotiate with Tanaka. The teams that bid the $20 million will then have until January 24 to reach an agreement.

Tanaka chose Casey Close as his agent so it could be resolved a little faster than if it were Borasss. His wife is Gretchen Carlson of Fox spews.

 

We have a history of dealing with Casey Close.

 

You are correct, he reps Zack Greinke, Hairston, Jr and Jamey Wright.

 

Add Clayton to that list! Ours to lose just like Irish wrote.

 

Here is the spiel that Nedco needs to go with:

History of outstanding pitching that represents a variety of cultures. He will help complete the best rotation in baseball. He will see the playoffs. He will pitch in the playoffs. He will receive run support from a lineup of mashers. We take care of our own. We want to build our dynasty around he, Kershaw, and Puig.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24387729/who-needs-masahiro-tanaka-the-most

 

Over the holidays, the Rakuten Golden Eagles decided to troll Major League Baseball teams.

If you're going to hose us on the new posting-fee cap, at least we can make a bunch of front-office dorks hang out in the backyards of their in-laws, pacing, shivering, and yelling things into a cell phone.​

The news that Masahiro Tanaka was going to be posted came in late on Christmas Eve. That's amusing and probably coincidental. I'd like to think there was some spite behind it, though. It's the poet and/or jerk in me.
After a long, stagnant offseason for pitchers, the biggest prize is officially on the market. Tanaka will be a major-league pitcher next year. He will be well-compensated. The last time we checked in with Tanaka, the rules were still undecided, and it seemed quite possible he would stay with the Golden Eagles. But if he were the subject of a bidding war, I surmised the Dodgers were the favorites for his services, followed by the Dodgers and the Dodgers. The Yankees were next, and there was a huge gap between them and the next team.
That hasn't changed. The Dodgers' offseason plan, it seems from afar, has been to wait for Tanaka. They didn't want to gut the minors for David Price, even if they were willing to do so. They preferred to out-rich the other rich teams. Which they're going to do now. The Yankees were going to be the only competition, but that was when it seemed like it would take an $80 million posting fee that wouldn't count toward the luxury-tax threshold. Now a big salary would ding the Yankees, and they don't seem too interested in that.
Nope, it's the Dodgers. Think of a time they wanted a player under the new ownership and didn't get him. Eventually it will happen. Let's wait for the first time to predict the next time. It's as obvious as Tim Lincecum going to the Seattle Mariners for big money because he's from Washington, you know.
That's who will get Tanaka. A more interesting question might be who could use Tanaka the most. The Dodgers don't need Tanaka. They're just gluttonous creeps. That doesn't have to be a bad thing. I wish my team were gluttonous creeps when it came to free agents. But if it's an issue of need, the Dodgers already have three pitchers who would start on Opening Day for most teams.
A list of other reported suitors:

• Yankees
• Cubs
• Rangers
• Diamondbacks
• Angels
• Mariners

But, obviously, there are a lot more teams that could use him. The Orioles, for example. The Pirates would love to have him. I don't know where the Giants would fit Tanaka into the rotation, but he'd most likely make them a lot better. Still, let's start with the known suitors before looking for the surprise picks.
The Yankees could certainly use another starting pitcher. CC Sabathia isn't guaranteed to rebound, especially considering his velocity dip, and that the ostensible fourth starter (David Phelps) is coming off a disappointing year, and the ostensible fifth starter (Michael Pineda) is coming off major shoulder surgery. If it's an issue of need, the Yankees have it.
The Cubs would be most interested in the buzz of the signing, as well as the relative youth of Tanaka fitting into their five-year plan better than other premium free agents. The Angels have a lot of money tied up in win-now hitting, but the rotation is something of a Costner movie. There's a need.
The Rangers are erring on the side of gluttonous, but I'm not sure if they have the pronounced need in the rotation, so they're out. The Diamondbacks have a full rotation and a stable of pitching prospects, so they're out. And even though the Mariners seem like a good fit, with a history of successful NPB transitions and a desire to win in 2014, that doesn't seem like a team needing to spend on starting pitching.
So it's the Yankees. Of all the teams in the land, I feel comfortable with the Yankees having the biggest need for a young, supposed-ace type.
Except, let me throw out another team. Just spitballin'. They were briefly linked to Tanaka when the rumors were flying about the new posting system, but not since. The Houston Astros have Mark Appel in the system right now, and he might be in the rotation next year. They have young pitchers of note like Brad Peacock and Jarred Cosart. And unless something horrible happens, the Astros will also have Carlos Rodon. That's a good foundation with enviable upside.
They recently signed the respectable Scott Feldman, but their payroll is still low enough to get fans (and the Players Association) grumbling. What they could use is a young star, someone to excite the ticket-buying and television-watching base, someone to pull them out of the doldrums and Tonight Show monologues. Preferably this would be a pitcher in his prime, young enough not to mess up their plans to build a super-rotation of the future.
That is, Tanaka.
Chances of it happening? Less than one percent, I'd guess. But if you're looking for teams that can bid the Dodgers up, maybe the rich teams are a bad place to start. No one's going to out-rich the Dodgers, not until the Yankees shed some old payroll. No, look for the teams that have hardly any future commitments in place. That's how the Mariners stunned the world with Cano. The Astros have a couple arbitration years for Dexter Fowler coming up. They have the Scott Feldman deal (three years, $30 million). They have Jose Altuve locked up through 2017 for a total of around $12 million.
Other than that? Nothing. Other than a handful of arbitration cases for the players they'd like to keep, the Astros are delightfully unencumbered. There aren't going to be a lot of other young stars on the market like this. There rarely are. If you're looking for a prediction, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a good fit? The Yankees need Tanaka more than the other teams chasing him, but perhaps the Astros could use him more effectively than the rest of the field.
Now let's get a pool going as to the exact date the Dodgers sign Tanaka. I'm going with January 14.