December 21, 2024

99 thoughts on “MLB.com: Japanese ace Sasaki coming to MLB next season”

  1. And it didn’t used to be that they all went to the Dodgers.
    Or the West Coast at all.
    Why is that the case now, when it WASN’T the case BEFORE? What’s changed?

    1. It is easier to get back to Japan from the west coast. The dodgers have been very good and high profile for the last decade, the Yankees aren’t THE team to win anymore. Weather. The other west coast teams and underwhelming, aside from SD.

    2. The West Coast has long been a draw. Hideo Nomo. Ichiro Suzuki. Kaz Sasaki. Hiroki Kuroda.

      But yes, the Dodgers being the clearly best team on the West Coast is also a major draw for the Dodgers specifically. And now, of course, it is their two Japanese superstar players.

  3. they apparently have a lot of intl money free. if they don’t make the best offer i will be severely disappointed. even more than if they fail to retain soto, since they have so many holes that can be filled by FAs.

    amazing how many bad contracts are on the books though, they should stop doing that.

    hicks 8
    dj 15
    stroman 18
    rodon 30

    more than the A’s and some others?

    1. The “best offer” is immaterial here, as Sasaki isn’t going to pick his team based on who can offer him the most money out of the small amount of money teams are allowed to offer. He’s going to pick his team based on where he feels like playing, which is why the Dodgers are the odds on favorite.

    3. He will definitely get endorsement money, but I wonder HOW much. I still think it makes a lot of sense for him to just wait two years and get the huge contract AND the endorsement money.

    4. it makes sense from a fiscal pov to wait but he’s after something bigger imo, glory. it is in this respect I think the Yankees have a non insignificant chance to sign him

    1. I imagine he has all the top relievers on his radar, hoping they won’t get monster deals, and then he’ll try to get them cheaper. Estevez’ age might make him affordable.

    3. That’s how it is for posted players over 25 though. Established Japanese (or Korean) players coming over at 23/4 is not irregular and it’s unfortunate and wrong that they are treated like team controlled assets rather than free agents.

      The old posting system needed to be fixed, but a big loophole was left that isn’t good for anyone except the MLB teams.

    1. Brent Musburger and Al Michaels both enjoy a wager. In the latter’s case hasn’t really affected anything. In the former’s case I don’t think he was forced out or anything when he left the game, but he did go on to start VSIN, the betting media network that used to have a channel on Sirius.

  10. So next season looks like Durbin the early favorite to take over 2B, Jasson in LF/CF, Judge in CF/RF, Jazz at 3B, Volpe at SS, and Wells at C. Need a 1B and whatever Soto does.

    Offseason over. Move on.

    4. What Brian wrote. Boone/Cash also said Jasson will be a big part of 2025. Those are the two only real openings other 1B. I assume Soto returns, but if he doesn’t, I would expect an Alonso signing, Judge moving to RF and acquiring a LF/CFer. If Soto re-signs with the Yankees, I think their best outfield defense is moving Judge to LF with Jasson in CF.

      We shall see.

    5. Brutal scouting report on Alonso, and he is a terrible fielder.

      … he’s entering free agency off the two worst years of his career and he is the type of player who ages very poorly. Alonso has hit .229/.324/.480 over the last two seasons and struck out just under 25 percent of the time, while his batted-ball data is almost all trending the wrong way. He just posted the highest groundball rate of his career in 2024, while his hard-hit rates are all at or near career lows, and he has become very vulnerable to breaking stuff.

      He’s also a very poor defender at first, which has been the case since he was a prospect, with Statcast crediting (debiting?) him with minus-18 runs on defense over his career. Slow position players who are poor defenders and rely on power for most of their value tend to age more poorly than other categories of position players, and Alonso might be the ne plus ultra of such players, even though he’ll only be 30 next season. He’s a 2-3 win player as is and might be half that in five years, so while he’d be great to sign on a short-term deal, even for $20-25 million, I think any longer deal is going to end up paying him for past production rather than future.

      https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5874781/2024/11/01/mlb-top-50-free-agent-ranking-keith-law/

    1. Yeah, the players do all seem to love Boone, so at least on this front, it’s genuinely good to have confirmation Boone will join Hal (even though one would expect the manager to join such a pitch anyway).

  13. Heyman nypost.com/2024/11/11/spo… The biggest obstacle to keeping Juan Soto in NY (with either the Yankees or Mets) could well be the motivated, deep-pocketed Blue Jays

    1. That would likely mean they [the Jays] wouldn’t sign Vlad after the 2025 season when he becomes a FA.

  14. If Boone thinks the Yanks fundamentals were good and they won games because of them, he’s dumber than any of us thought. (Also I’d like a sniff of what he’s taking.)

    But if Boone is the reason Soto stays here, then that alone might offset his stupid managing. But I’m not sure. Soto WAR vs Boone blown games.,,hmmmm.,,

    And if Soto stays here because of Boone, he’s not a very smart person because Boone is getting in the way of him winning a championship.

    1. 1 boone is a moron

      2 part of this is the bias of when you see something good happen like clay holmes getting a double play to end an inning or a big verdugo hit and one thinks that is the talent level of the team.

      lots of people fall guilty to this. it’s probably like a gambler remembering that time they won 20$ on slots and forget about the 200$ they lost.

      and thus all of verdugos soft contact is wiped away…

  15. while I’m uncertain iof the extent japanese population and presence influences rokis decision, it should be noted that presence is, perhaps, more eclectic, and iconoclastic here than in, say, la. nyc has some of the most foremost artists – japanese and otherwise – in the world including jazz, food, visual arts, etc.

    should this be a factor in rokis decision he’ll choose the Yankees

    1. I think Gleyber was always gone – especially once the Yankees sloppiness was called out. Maybe it wasn’t fully deserved, but he was absolutely the poster child for the Yankees sloppy defense, inconsistent effort and poor baserunning over the past few years.

  17. If they bring back Soto, and somehow sign Walker, that’d be a pretty awesome looking lineup. It’d probably go something like:

    Jazz 3B (L)
    Judge LF (R)
    Soto RF (L)
    Walker 1B (R)
    Martian CF (S)
    Stanton DH (R)
    Wells C (L)
    Volpe SS (R)
    Durbin 2B (R)

    Volpe, Durbin, and Jazz back-to-back-to-back would make for some outstanding speed. The defense at first and second would take a step forward. The only trick would be whether Judge can really play left field or not. It’s kind of tricky at Yankee Stadium.

    Walker really is the PERFECT fit here if they bring back Soto. If they DON’T bring back Soto, then obviously they need to try a lot of different things.

    1. The thing is, I now have zero idea as to what we can expect from Dominguez (first stint – superman, second stint – a bit of nothing on a team forming a pattern of hitters going from glowing promise to nothing), Wells (much the same, but within a single season), or Stanton – physically, apparently, he can still hit, be a monster, but he could be a black hole again in the lineup as easily as he could be pretty good and protection for Judge, etc. Volpe, too – my ambitions for him have been tempered, let’s just say.
      In other words, I really have no idea how good that line-up is.

    2. Judge, Soto, and Walker alone should be a decent offense. The Yankees led the AL in runs scored last year with Verdugo in left field all season, and injured Rizzo/washed DJ/not ready Rice at first. Durbin will be a step down from Gleyber, probably, but Gleyber only really started to heat up late in the season. He still had a below average season. So even with all of that, they STILL scored a lot of runs due to Judge and Soto, and that would presumably continue this season, only with a full season from Jazz and the HUGE upgrade at first.

      The Martian would be able to be brought along without much pressure. And if Stanton sucks, then Grisham just plays everyday for a little bit, and Judge rests as the DH, and the defense gets even better.

    4. I’ not really concerned about Dominguez. I think Durbin is a leadoff-type guy over Jazz, but you may be right that they see him as 9 hitter in his first year.

      Soto is such a key acquisition though. Giving up King (6th in the NL in pitching fWAR) for one year of Soto and a WS appearance is OK, but it still stings a little.

    5. I’m not saying they’ll suck. I’m not saying they’ll be worse than you think
      I’m saying they’re just crazy unpredictable. They could be much better than you think.
      Volpe could be much better. The Martian could be a world-beater. Maybe Wells had a hidden injury and will pick right off where he left off before falling off a cliff. They could be an amazingly good team.
      Or, I mean, not.

    6. Stanton was great in the post season, but he’ll be another year older, stiff as ever, and the inevitable turn or two on the IL awaits. Three more years of it.

    7. With Judge being Judge, though, the Yankees are well situated to lose Stanton for month, as you’d just play Grisham everyday in center, and in the short term, are you even missing that much with his improved defense in center and Judge getting to rest more?

    1. Without Soto and without any other free agents, agreed.

      But yes, the simplest thing to do to make next year’s team a contender is to just bring Soto back. That alone will put them in contention.

    1. Never liked him, and what, they can’t find some young up-and-coming guy? Is it because they have the geriatric ward already built and might as well put it to good use? 😏

    3. I don’t recall him that much as a talk show host, but he has a cool voice. Rickie Ricardo was apparently the other finalist. He would have been good, too (he and Suzyn already have a clear friendship).

    4. Rickie Riccardo seems perfectly nice, inoffensive, unremarkable.
      Utterly forgettable.
      Which may be better than some of the recent candidates, but still.
      Basically unremarkable, interchangeable suits who talk – pretty much what I’d expect of Hal Steinbrenner.

    6. I agree, Brian, that he was far better than the others. And he has the name going for him (he should use that more!).
      Maybe it depends where you put the bar.
      I mean, Scooter and Sterling – for better or worse, in his own campy way – are full of personality, fantastically and instantly recognizable. White (in his hyperunderstated, sardonic way), Kenny and Cone, and even Paulie, were or are extremely individual, clear and confident, and all those guys except Sterling have the advantage of having been players, of having additional meaning for us. Which is why Sterling had to go the Uecher route to become as recognizable a personality.
      Riccardo is a person, and he’s competent, that’s better than any of these other new guys. But far less instantly recognizable or interesting than any of the above. I don’t dislike the guy, I just think they could do better.

  24. I am a believer in the baseball gods punishing certain teams; back in the late 80s early 90s the gods were punishing the Yankees for having a blind Rizzuto announcing games. When he retired they starting winning. At some point in the last decade Sterling became blind and the Yankees stopped winning. Then he retired and just as it appeared they might be WS bound they brought him back which is why they lost the WS.
    So just hire an announcer than can see and maybe we will win again. Also with that announcer make sure you sign Soto and a 1b who can hit. That will help.

    As to why the baseball gods haven’t punished the Astros.,,well? I guess he works in mysterious ways.

  25. Sarah Langs has really managed her condition well. She still does what she loves and she is apparently beloved in baseball. “Manage” probably isn’t the right word.

  26. Rob Bradford of WEEI.com tweets that the Red Sox are approaching their pursuit of Soto with a level of “intent” that we’ve not seen from Boston “in some time.”

    They have a better farm system than us.

    2. If you believe that Volpe will never get much better and Wells over the summer was a fluke then the Yankees don’t have much of a future.

    3. Wells was a bat first prospect up until last year/this year and was hitting the ball well all season up until the last month. There’s more evidence for him being a very good catcher going forward than having totally lost it.

      Volpe… well, the talent is clearly still there…

    4. I hope so but I expected much more from Volpe this season. Past A ball Volpe was never a dominant hitter.

  27. A 58 year old former heavyweight champ champ whose career was on the downside in his 30s is scheduled to fight a reality TV entertainer who has had a total of 10 fights. The has been will net $20 Million, and the never was will make $40 Million. Meanwhile can 10% of America name the heavyweight champ?
    Andy Warhol never knew how right he was.

  28. After a slow start Durbin, age 24, is OPSing 312/975 in Arizona with 29 SBs in 26 games. In the last 7 games he’s at 429/1276. Gleyber hit 403/1158 in Arizona 2016 at the age of 19.

  29. They can give Durbin a chance. And Jasson. And hope Wells in what he was before the downfall. And Volpe can be a little better. Now if they sign Soto and a 1b and this all works out they’ll be good. Or Soto goes elsewhere, they cheap out at 1b, wells does not reawaken, volpe stays volpe and durbin is a 4A player and they finish dead last. Whatever.

    1. The one scenario I don’t think will happen at all is them letting Soto walk and not spending big on free agents. If Soto is gone, they WILL get one of the big guys, either Bregman or Santander, plus probably Walker.

      Jazz
      Judge
      Santander
      Walker
      Martian
      Stanton
      Wells
      Volpe
      Durbin

      Is still a playoff team. Just not a contender the same way a team with Soto and Judge back-to-back is.

    2. That said, of course I agree that returning Soto is key to their chances at putting out a contender for a title for the next three years. “Can get into the playoffs” and “Can make it to the World Series” are two very different things, and Soto can help them achieve the second. The first, though, is still in play without Soto.

    4. I do hate his fielding, agreed, but Soto sucked out there, too. And the key is that this wouldn’t be a long term deal, they’d probably only need to go 3-4 years on the deal. So he’d be gone before he got too old to play the field.

      But yes, don’t get me wrong, I agree that I’d prefer not to bring in a shitty fielding right fielder into a team that already has defense issues, but there just isn’t a good defensive outfielder who is available that can hit.

  30. “ MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: The Juan Soto hot stove is heating up with the crown jewel free agent beginning to meet with teams this week. One of the first teams he sat down with was the Red Sox, and while the two sides did not discuss years or dollars, Soto reportedly came away “impressed” by Boston’s plans for the future including the wave of young talent they have at or on the doorstep of the majors. The Blue Jays are also reportedly showing strong interest in Soto, and as for the Yankees, it is rumored that they would be comfortable exceeding 13 years as well as the $40 million AAV carried by Aaron Judge. While it’s hard to gauge when Soto will sign, some are pointing to Shohei Ohtani signing in mid-December as a potential barometer.”

    1. Just entering his prime, Soto will get more than an AAV of $40 million. $46+ million is my estimate.

    2. I think he edges past $46 million because of his age, so something like $47 million. The Yankees have already said they’re comfortable with 13 years/$520, so that sure sounds like 13 years/$600 would be easily doable, right? That’s a little less than $47 million per.

      And the best thing for the Yankees is that they paid him $33 million THIS PAST SEASON. So it’s a $14 million raise, which, while certainly not NOTHING, isn’t really THAT big of a deal.

  31. Carlos Baerga has gotten a lot of stuff wrong during his recent career as a sort of insider reporter, but he’s gotten some stuff right, as well, so make of this as you will, but he says the Mets’ INITIAL offer is $660 million.

    Soooo… that’s not good.

    1. What a weird flex. How in the fuck would your meeting NOT be “very detailed” or a “big production”?

      “Yeah, we decided to half ass this one.”

  33. 14/700 no longer seems impossible to me.

    anyway this team will never win with boone so i am going to not care again for awhile. or tell myself that.

    1. I would imagine he would still bring that offer to Hal, but yes, if Cohen goes to $750 million, I imagine Soto will be a Met.

      Frankly, though, from the money being thrown around so far, it seems like the Yankees are right in it. The Mets offering more years for less AAV is not something I imagine the Yankees would be concerned with. I think most teams would be fine with locking Soto up until he’s 40 if that’s what it takes. A 15-year-contract is fine, honestly, especially if it lowers the AAV.

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