OT-Money does not matter anymore

[RichardSimon]

I was just informed that the Yankees signed Tanaka for 7 years for $155 million,,yes 155 not a typo.
All that money for someone who has never pitched in the major leagues.

[ullmandds]

Plus the yankees have to pay his japanese team 20 mil next season.

[barrysloate]

So seldom do these contracts ever pan out. They almost always turn into really bad deals. But if the Yankees don't do it, somebody else will.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

So seldom do these contracts ever pan out. They almost always turn into really bad deals. But if the Yankees don't do it, somebody else will.

The Rays? ---- I don't think so, Barry

In the last 4 years the Rays record against the Yankees is 41-32.

[barrysloate]

Well maybe not the Rays, but someone with a little extra cash in their pockets.

[calvindog]

Apparently no one but the Yankees were willing to pay that much.

And interesting that they were unwilling to pay Cano -- a possible HOFer in the prime of his career -- much more than what they're paying this pitcher with no MLB track record. I'm actually starting to think Hank Steinbrenner is an idiot.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by calvindog

Apparently no one but the Yankees were willing to pay that much.

And interesting that they were unwilling to pay Cano -- a possible HOFer in the prime of his career -- much more than what they're paying this pitcher with no MLB track record. I'm actually starting to think Hank Steinbrenner is an idiot.

Remember Dice-K?

[jhs5120]

Originally Posted by calvindog

Apparently no one but the Yankees were willing to pay that much.

And interesting that they were unwilling to pay Cano -- a possible HOFer in the prime of his career -- much more than what they're paying this pitcher with no MLB track record. I'm actually starting to think Hank Steinbrenner is an idiot.

There's a big difference between 10 years - $240 million to a 31 year old and 7 years - $155 million to a 25 year old.

[rjackson44]

Yankees stink go Oakland as

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Remember Dice-K?

I remember that guy. Foul mouth, but funny.

[Brian Van Horn]

I hate the Yankees, but for the pitcher-and I say this in all sincerity and compassion-I hope it works out better than it did for Hideki Irabu.

[savedfrommyspokes]

Hideki Irabu anyone? If a any MLB team wants to sign a Japanese player, sign a position player, not a pitcher!

[sycks22]

I miss Hideki Irabu aka "The fat toad". Possibly the best nickname ever.

[Exhibitman]

[Brian Van Horn]

Adam,

You just made my day .

[cockrellcollection]

Originally Posted by Brian Van Horn

Adam,

You just made my day .

Ditto!

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by jhs5120

There's a big difference between 10 years - $240 million to a 31 year old and 7 years - $155 million to a 25 year old.

The Yankees could have had Cano for 8 years and $200 million is my guess. Certainly Cano wasn't expecting them to match the Mariners' offer of $240 million. Guaranteeing $45 million more over 7-8 years for a possible HOF player seems pretty reasonable considering the other guy has never thrown a pitch in the major leagues.

[iwantitiwinit]

Just add him to the list:

Hawkins
Irabu
Wright
Pavano
Farnsworth
Igawa
Chan Ho Park

[jhs5120]

Originally Posted by calvindog

The Yankees could have had Cano for 8 years and $200 million is my guess. Certainly Cano wasn't expecting them to match the Mariners' offer of $240 million. Guaranteeing $45 million more over 7-8 years for a possible HOF player seems pretty reasonable considering the other guy has never thrown a pitch in the major leagues.

Cano was offered $175 over 7 years by the Yankees. For Cano 10 years was a requirement and the Yankees were smart to pass on that. Look at Pujols and A-Rod..

[iwantitiwinit]

Originally Posted by jhs5120

Cano was offered $175 over 7 years by the Yankees. For Cano 10 years was a requirement and the Yankees were smart to pass on that. Look at Pujols and A-Rod..

U mean for Jay Z 10 yrs was a requirement.

[jhs5120]

Originally Posted by iwantitiwinit

U mean for Jay Z 10 yrs was a requirement.

Yes, sorry.

[nolemmings]

If a any MLB team wants to sign a Japanese player, sign a position player, not a pitcher!

Yeah, that's likely to pan out. See Tsuyoshi Nishioka, the greatest bust in Twins history. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/84...-salary-buyout
"Nishioka spent most of 2012 with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, batting .258 with two home runs and 34 RBIs in 392 at-bats. He played in only three games for the Twins this summer, making two errors plus several other mistakes in the field and going 0 for 12 with one sacrifice fly."

[chipperhank44]

There are 8 Japanese players currently in the MLB, 6 are pitchers. Of those pitchers, Yu Darvish is a legitimate #1 starter. Iwakuma is a top of the rotation type starter, Kuroda, in his late 30's, is a very nice middle of the rotation starter, Uehara is a fantastic set-up man or closer, and Tazawa is a solid set up man.

I agree, it is a ton of money to give a guy with no MLB experience, however Japanese pitchers have proven, especially recently, that they can be extremely successful in the Major Leagues. Saying this kid is a bust and it's a foregone conclusion does not quite reflect reality.

[MyGuyTy]

Originally Posted by calvindog

Apparently no one but the Yankees were willing to pay that much.

And interesting that they were unwilling to pay Cano -- a possible HOFer in the prime of his career -- much more than what they're paying this pitcher with no MLB track record. I'm actually starting to think Hank Steinbrenner is an idiot.

MLB Network reported this morning that the Cubs offered 150 mil and that was their ceiling. Of course the Yanks had no problem bumping them at 155.

I actually like the deal vs. paying Cano. They have the hitters, they NEEDED pitching to make a serious WS run. Time will tell of Tanaka is as advertised.

[oldjudge]

Jeff--I don't think the relevant comparison is versus Cano. The Yankees desperately need pitching and he was their best alternative. The question to ask is why the Yankees shelled out all that money for Ellsbury when for about the same amount they could have had Cano.

[barrysloate]

Tanaka will help- he was 24-0 after all- but they are such a mishmash of old and brittle players that it is hard to imagine much good will happen for them in 2014. Look for them to hover around .500 this year and miss the playoffs.

[yanks12025]

You yankee haters are too funny.

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Jeff--I don't think the relevant comparison is versus Cano. The Yankees desperately need pitching and he was their best alternative. The question to ask is why the Yankees shelled out all that money for Ellsbury when for about the same amount they could have had Cano.

Agreed, makes no sense. Ellsbury isn't half the player Cano is and he can't stay on the field either. Yes, the Yankees need pitching but they also need to fill Cano's hole in the lineup.

[oldjudge]

Barry--a few months ago I was pretty pessimistic about the team the Yankees would field in '14, but they have done a good job coming up with what could be a very competitive squad. Consider this projected starting lineup and rotation.

Ellsbury. OF
Jeter. SS
Beltran. OF
Teixeira. 1B
McCann C
Soriano DH
Johnson 3B
Roberts 2B
Gardner OF

Sabathia
Tanaka
Kuroda
Nova
Phelps
Pineda (yes, he does exist)

There are some questions regarding players coming off injuries, but if they have recovered and can revert to somewhere near their pre-injury form, the everyday players should be solid. To me the key is Sabathia. He has been going down hill for the last several years. Any decline from here and he is a sub-500 pitcher and that would be bad. I think having Kuroda on the team helps Tanaka, and I expect both to pitch well. Nova is a good fourth starter and Phelps is pretty solid. Pineda is a wild card. If he can regain his Seattle form he could be a real plus.
With Mo gone, I think the Yankees could make Robertson the closer. It won't be close to the same, but he can get the job done. The Yankees usually do a good job cobbling together a bullpen, and I would think this year will be no different.
On paper, they're not among the strongest teams in the league, but they have the potential to make some noise.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Cano is a very strong player, but with only above average power, the gap between him and an average second baseman is likely not the difference between winning or not. On the other hand, a starting pitcher can make all the difference in the world, so perhaps it was worth the gamble even though with no real track record it's a legitimate longshot.

[bmattioli]

$155 Million on a pitcher that has not thrown one pitch in the Majors??.. Sounds like a great deal to me..

[packs]

Guys, I know Japanese pitchers are always super hyped up. But this one was 24 - 0. You can't ignore that. He wasn't just a good pitcher. He was unbeatable.

I get that he hasn't thrown a MLB pitch yet. But what would a college pitcher who went 24 - 0 command as the first overall pick in a free market without restrictions? At least he's pitched professionally.

[Rickyy]

I guess the cost of not successfully developing young starting pitching though the draft made this a must signing. I watch Japanese bb quite a bit and he does have electric stuff (his splitter just drops off the table), but we won't know until he faces the big boys... I suppose if he fails as a starter they can always make him a closer (but expensive one) like Koji Uehara, who started out as a starter in Japan until he injured his arm and converted to a reliever...

Ricky Y

[barrysloate]

Hi Jay- It's a very good team if everyone stays healthy, agreed. But given their age and their injury history, that will be virtually impossible. Maybe the younger players will step up, and maybe they will overachieve, but realistically expect to see a lot of players making trips to the disabled list. The team has too many older guys.

[Leon]

"Money" and the excessive amount paid to the players is one of the reasons I don't care for current MLB. I am very capitalistic so do understand they make their team owners enough money to justify their salaries but still......

[jimhopkins82]

I think this shows how underpaid players that goes thru the standard 6 years of team control before free agency really are.

"Players received 63 percent of revenues in 2003, a high in recent history according to the Sports Business Journal (and players received 60 percent of revenue in 1994). But players’ percentage share has decreased by 20 percent in a decade. Players’ share of revenues dipped below 50 percent in 2010, and according to Tribune-Review calculations, it reached 42 percent in 2013."

The owners are doing alright it seems.

[HexsHeroes]

.

. . . that my beloved Tigers chose to trade Doug Fister. I know that he was no superstar, but I think, with the Tigers, you could count on him to win 12-18 games a season, and be competitive in most of them. A control pitcher that threw strikes. I understand needing a decent outfielder but I have always been in the camp that decent pitching is more difficult to find/develop than position players. Put together a staff of 5 such solid pitching starters, and you have a pretty decent staff. Might even able put such a staff together for $155 million. Maybe the Yankees missed out on a bargain. Or, maybe they are looking for the next great star. The Yanks are certainly rolling the dice.