75 million to negotiate?

[blacksilverfan12]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=darvish
75 million dollars for a team to negotiate with Yu Darvish. Why would a team pay that much just to talk to him?

[steve rogers]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=darvish
75 million dollars for a team to negotiate with Yu Darvish. Why would a team pay that much just to talk to him?

If they think he's good enough to help them win. If the Yankees don't make the playoffs this year a $100 million bid to just negotiate wouldn't surprise me at all.

Scott

[brewcrew82]

When the Red Sox paid $50 million to negotiate with Matsuzaka many thought that was excessive. For a younger, hotter prospect of course the posting fee will be higher.

I'm not surprised to hear this, though I think it's excessive (even $50 million is excessive, in my eyes).

[SamtheBravesFan]

Looks like Nippon Ham is wanting to cash in just like Seibu did with Matsuzaka. Only this time, Darvish is a lot younger. He certainly has great stuff (0.83 WHIP, 1.82 ERA, .174 OBA, 210 K in 2007, they all led the Pacific League). It will be interesting to see what happens.

[Zagi-CRO]

Too much for Yu.

[Mattingly]

Just when I thought it was Toyotas, Nikon and Canon cameras or Sony TVs that were the imports which would best stimulate the Japanese economy, it's now turned into young pitchers. Very interesting.

What reassurances do any of us have that this kid's the real deal?

Nice video, great curveball, very good commentary by Bobby Valentine (who wants the young guy to stay there), but $75m? I'm guessing it would be great to see it happen, but on the other hand, would Japanese players then not look as fondly upon their own nation's game if they'd wanted to play in the USA again? Would their own country's national pasttime be sold short if he became an MLB player?

I've also never heard of being posted at age 21. I guess that once you draft them, you can send to the highest bidder? That's quite a few t-shirts, jerseys, endless memorabilia and photos to be sold in order to get back $100m. We'd all have to stay tuned to see if it's even worth it. We'll see. ;)

Too much for Yu.
Hmmmmmmmmm, someone told me there was always one smarty aleck in every bunch. I should've believed 'em! :D

Now then, is this too much money for all of us to afford, or just too much for Yu? Somehow, my calculator doesn't ring up that many zeros to understand such a humongous payday for the team parting with his services.

It's either pay through the nose or hope that someone trades Webb, Santana, Beckett or ... trade for a good pitcher who can be improved upon. Excessive money or lots of patience. Not ideal either way. Whatever.

[Zagi-CRO]

OK, $75Mill is nearly 47 mill EUR... the best football player in Europe Christiano Ronaldo /ManUTD/ costs about 50 mill EUR...

I say again... too much for Yu...
Is he /Yu/ better then Zito... ha,ha...

[SamtheBravesFan]

OK, $75Mill is nearly 47 mill EUR... the best football player in Europe Christiano Ronaldo /ManUTD/ costs about 50 mill EUR...

I say again... too much for Yu...
Is he /Yu/ better then Zito... ha,ha...

He already should be. Because Darvish is just 21 years old, he should be viewed as a VERY legit prospect.

As for the money, it's well within Nippon Ham's rights under the posting system to ask for that much money, because they know that at least one team in Major League Baseball can and will pay that. I've said before that they want to cash in, just like Seibu did, and they can. Quite frankly, I think that someone will pay this.

Oh, and by the way, 75 million dollars is, very loosely, 7.9 billion yen.

[brewcrew82]

Would their own country's national pasttime be sold short if he became an MLB player?

Whilst Baseball is probably the most popular sport in Japan it is not their national pasttime. That would be Sumo.

[Mattingly]

Whilst Baseball is probably the most popular sport in Japan it is not their national pasttime. That would be Sumo.
Yeah, but can those sumo guys pitch? I think I have an early pic of Yu next to one of those guys (merely for comparison purposes, anyway):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/in_pictures_enl_1181572531/img/1.jpg

So sumo is their main sport. We should introduce monster trucks or NASCAR over there and see what they think of their automotive industry! :D

Back to the main issue, what would happen to the Nippon Baseball League if teams just kept shipping over their top young lions over to the highest bidder? They'd make tons of money, but would their own system suffer? That's what I'm asking. :)

[SamtheBravesFan]

Back to the main issue, what would happen to the Nippon Baseball League if teams just kept shipping over their top young lions over to the highest bidder? They'd make tons of money, but would their own system suffer? That's what I'm asking. :)

I think that if it really was a problem, they wouldn't be doing this. After all, Major League Baseball teams don't have to pay this money.

[cardsfanatic]

I guess there's worse things you could spend 75 million dollars on. Mo Vaughn?

[SamtheBravesFan]

I guess there's worse things you could spend 75 million dollars on. Mo Vaughn?

Don't forget, that money would be on top of whatever kind of contract that he gets.

[Mattingly]

Don't forget, that money would be on top of whatever kind of contract that he gets.
Plus the posting fee is tax-deductible & won't count towards payroll.

[SamtheBravesFan]

Plus the posting fee is tax-deductible & won't count towards payroll.

No kidding. Well, whoever can afford it will jump all over it to sign Darvish. I would think that if he's dominating the Pacific League at that age, he could make a very easy transition to Major League Baseball.

[Zagi-CRO]

Oh, and by the way, 75 million dollars is, very loosely, 7.9 billion yen.

Huge money... 7,900,000,000.00 yen?
It's 325,000,000.00 HRK /croatian's kuna/ :)

[bigtime39]

Oh, gee. Another Yankee$ - Red $ox YESPNESN-hyped cash-flinging contest. Will wonders never cease. Yawn. Wake me when you have a man bites dog story, please.

[SamtheBravesFan]

Oh, gee. Another Yankee$ - Red $ox YESPNESN-hyped cash-flinging contest. Will wonders never cease. Yawn. Wake me when you have a man bites dog story, please.

Has it even crossed your mind that some team other than the Yankees and Red Sox can afford to pay this amount of money?

[bigtime39]

Has it even crossed your mind that some team other than the Yankees and Red Sox can afford to pay this amount of money?

Can afford it? You could likely add the Dodgers, Cubs, Angels and Mets to the list. Would be willing to engage in this anticipated bidding war? You're likely right back to the usual suspects as mentioned in my post. Seattle is always a dark-horse candidate to jump in on Japanese imports, but I'd be willing to bet that $75MM just for posting fees is a bridge too far for them.

[Zagi-CRO]

Has it even crossed your mind that some team other than the Yankees and Red Sox can afford to pay this amount of money?

Go Cubbies, go !!! :)

[Mattingly]

Has it even crossed your mind that some team other than the Yankees and Red Sox can afford to pay this amount of money?
I doubt that Boston does this, unless they really are intent on having the best young Japanese pitcher. That would be $125m over 2 seasons just on 2 pitchers. I can't see that.

With Giambi off the books (though I think he still has a 2009 option year (fat chance of the Yanks pitcking that up)), the Yanks *MAY* make an attempt at this. Could they be stung after wasting a $26m posting fee on the infamous Kei Igawa (who seems to have the makings of a Hideki Irabu II)? I don't know, but that could factor into it.

After the Johan Santana deal, I don't see the Mets being so loose with the change. I have no idea who would be there to replace him for the Mets, but if Santana, Maine and Perez do well this season, it may be the bats that would be in greater need of repair so far this season.

I can see the LA Dodgers making a try for this.

Would the Giants have any spare change left after sinking it all into Barry Zito?

The free-spending Cubbies could be another.

I think that all teams mentioned can push the button on the FA acquisition, but "can" and "will" are often viewed as two separate words, sometimes with little in common.

They'd better sign him to a 6-year deal, and as from what I've heard of Japanese tradition, the posting fee is slightly lesser than the total contract for the player's signing.

[bigtime39]

I doubt that Boston does this, unless they really are intent on having the best young Japanese pitcher. That would be $125m over 2 seasons just on 2 pitchers. I can't see that.

With Giambi off the books (though I think he still has a 2009 option year (fat chance of the Yanks pitcking that up)), the Yanks *MAY* make an attempt at this. Could they be stung after wasting a $26m posting fee on the infamous Kei Igawa (who seems to have the makings of a Hideki Irabu II)? I don't know, but that could factor into it.

After the Johan Santana deal, I don't see the Mets being so loose with the change. I have no idea who would be there to replace him for the Mets, but if Santana, Maine and Perez do well this season, it may be the bats that would be in greater need of repair so far this season.

I can see the LA Dodgers making a try for this.

Would the Giants have any spare change left after sinking it all into Barry Zito?

The free-spending Cubbies could be another.

I think that all teams mentioned can push the button on the FA acquisition, but "can" and "will" are often viewed as two separate words, sometimes with little in common.

They'd better sign him to a 6-year deal, and as from what I've heard of Japanese tradition, the posting fee is slightly lesser than the total contract for the player's signing.

If the Giants come within 1000 yards of sniffing distance of this guy, then you can mark down their entire front office as clinically insane. There aren't enough dollars or free agents available, to fix what ails the Giants in the short term. It would make even less sense for the Giants to bid or Darwish this year than it would have for the Orioles to have bid on Matsuzaka last year...and that would have made no sense at all.
The Giants need to admit that it's time to go back to square 1 and rebuild. They're likely to be awful for at least the next five years.

Like I said before, it's gonna be another Yankee$ - Red $ox cash flinging contest. Oh, well.

[SamtheBravesFan]

Can afford it? You could likely add the Dodgers, Cubs, Angels and Mets to the list. Would be willing to engage in this anticipated bidding war? You're likely right back to the usual suspects as mentioned in my post. Seattle is always a dark-horse candidate to jump in on Japanese imports, but I'd be willing to bet that $75MM just for posting fees is a bridge too far for them.

Exactly. Just because the Red Sox and Yankees the most visible doesn't mean that they're the most willing. Either Los Angeles team or the Mets could open their wallets. Don't rule out the possibility.