Tanaka to be posted!

[Hornsby]

I think you're confusing Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa. Igawa was a complete bust. Irabu had a pretty rough time of it, too, but actually put up a decent season or two with the Yankees before finishing up with the Expos and Rangers.

I'm pretty sure that's exactly what DQ said...

[Kevin Seitzer]

I'm pretty sure that's exactly what DQ said...

Ah, now I see it.

[Don Quixote]

Ah, now I see it.

I know what I was trying to say, but sometimes I word things in unnecessarily complicated ways.

One thing that seems to happen with Japanese players is that they are "all or nothing" in terms of media coverage. Either they're touted as the best thing since canned beer, or they're unknown to 99 44/100% of American fans.

[onejayhawk]

I know what I was trying to say, but sometimes I word things in unnecessarily complicated ways.

One thing that seems to happen with Japanese players is that they are "all or nothing" in terms of media coverage. Either they're touted as the best thing since canned beer, or they're unknown to 99 44/100% of American fans.

I feel certain we could have followed if you had said 99.44%.

J

[Don Quixote]

I feel certain we could have followed if you had said 99.44%.

J

It's a Cincinnati thing, unrelated to baseball.

[Bob Kohm]

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (via Twitter) that the Dodgers have made it known that they will go "all out" to sign the Japanese ace and "certainly won't be outbid."


Sweet. Give the kid a billion! Two billion! Let him run the Padres! Whatever he wants!

...and then the updated story...

"Meanwhile, Nightengale softens his stance in a pair of new tweets, noting that the Dodgers confirmed their interest but don't want to spend "wildly" or do anything crazy with their bid in order to land Tanaka."

[Don Quixote]

...and then the updated story...

"Meanwhile, Nightengale softens his stance in a pair of new tweets, noting that the Dodgers confirmed their interest but don't want to spend "wildly" or do anything crazy with their bid in order to land Tanaka."

Sounds like a local weatherman, predicting all the possibilities so that he's never wrong.

[Bodhizefa]

Good God man, all of those guys are bigger question marks than Tanaka...Garza has injury concerns, Ubaldo had a nice 2nd half, preceded by about 3 craptacular years, and Ervin is a yoyo. Frankly, I wouldn't touch any of them over Tanaka despite the price tag. I think that Japanese pitchers have proven themselves over the past decade to be pretty solid in coming to the states...from the old relievers to the young starters, not too many busts in there. If he's Dan Haren in his prime, as is Bowden's comp...I'd be thrilled to have him on a team.

I'd rather have a known quantity of a #3 type starter (with all the mercuriality that goes with it, the ups and the downs) who gets paid like a #2/3 than a guy who could be a #2 or #3 starter who gets paid like an ace. I think Garza and Jimenez are the smart buys at this point.

[chancellor]

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (via Twitter) that the Dodgers have made it known that they will go "all out" to sign the Japanese ace and "certainly won't be outbid."


Sweet. Give the kid a billion! Two billion! Let him run the Padres! Whatever he wants!

Run the Padres? Are you trying to lose him?

[Hornsby]

Sounds like a local weatherman, predicting all the possibilities so that he's never wrong.

Here's the issues with all of the writers, none of them have a good pipeline to the Tanaka camp, and they're getting spoon fed just what their particular sources want them to print. Reading Rotoworld is hilarious right now...Tanaka only wants a major market, the Dodgers are out, the dodgers are willing to bid the moon, the Yankees are the frontrunners, the D-Backs are out, the D-Backs are the most aggressive, money is all important, money isn't important...and on, and on, and on...