Little over two weeks to sign Iwamura

DRaze2011 · 11-27-2006, 08:18 PM

Anyone heard anything more since the announcement the Rays won negotiating rights?

John F · 11-27-2006, 09:23 PM

Haven't seen or heard anything but the entire bidding confuses the crap out of me. Not the bid processes but going after the guy.

BJ Upton is currently playing third. Our draft pick this season, Evan Longoria, is fast tracked for the majors with his performance in the minors. Evan is a 3B. Now we dropped a load on Iwamura just to negotiate? Seems odd for a cash strapped team which is pledging to build from within as much as possible. It does add an asset to the franchise if he gets signed and makes someone expendable if need be.

That's the same situation with the outfield. I'm not keen on trading the established players as so much the rudy-poo youngsters like Young and Dukes... But in the end, assets are assets and you should use an asset to acquire a part you need before that asset fades off into oblivion.

bierce · 11-29-2006, 12:04 AM

This team has not been rushing many people through the system since Baldelli. I don't see Longoria spending much time in Tampa this year after his huge drop off after getting to Montgomery (1/20 bb/k--.752 ops).

Which is not to say that I fully understand the Iwamura thing.

Timmer · 11-29-2006, 04:29 PM

What is the status with Iwamura? When is the deadline?

How do teh Rays plan to use him?

DRaze2011 · 11-29-2006, 08:40 PM

Timmer, I believe the deadline for all posted players is December 14.

I guess the Rays plan to use Iwamura all around the infield. He's a gold glover on defense while the Rays were horrible in the field at just about every infield position last year. Cantu and BJ Upton in particular are terrible fielders.

I suppose Iwamura could platoon with Wigginton, then act as a late-inning defensive replacement for Cantu or Upton as well as provide insurance should both continue to struggle with the bat.

John F · 11-29-2006, 08:46 PM

I guess he is the veteran infield presence if they get him signed, Timmer. I don't see the Rays trying to convert him to a 1B or something.

The odd thing is, besides Iwamura the Rays are supposed to have Sinji Mori back (mispelled his first name). Mori is a reliever the Rays signed last year -- who subsequently had his labrum torn during spring training. I make a case against foreign veterans being used as leadership on this team but I think that is what ownership (as well as general management) are seeing in the Japanese players -- cheaper foreign talent that has played the game and has a better work ethic than some prima-donna American free agents.

John F · 11-29-2006, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRaze2011

Timmer, I believe the deadline for all posted players is December 14.

I guess the Rays plan to use Iwamura all around the infield. He's a gold glover on defense while the Rays were horrible in the field at just about every infield position last year. Cantu and BJ Upton in particular are terrible fielders.

I suppose Iwamura could platoon with Wigginton, then act as a late-inning defensive replacement for Cantu or Upton as well as provide insurance should both continue to struggle with the bat.

Wigginton is not the default starter at 3rd. Ty did play well but he wasn't supposed to be a starter to begin with,

Jorge Cantu is not horrible in the field -- he did have an off year last year after he broke his foot. Everything fell apart.

bedir than average · 11-29-2006, 09:48 PM

As someone who is a Seattle fan and who once modded the now obsolete International Baseball board I can explain a few things. First the deadline to be posted is in late march. The deadline to put in a bid is four days after posting is official. Once the team with the winning bid is determined the club and player have 30 days to negotiate.

If negotiations fail the player is returned to his NPB club and the NPB club returns the bid to the MLB club. The player then must remain in Japan for one year and be posted again at the end of the season. If that posting fails to reach a negotiation the player stays in Japan one last time and is then an unrestricted Free Agent.

Within those two years though if a player would have been a Free Agent anyway they are then an unrestricted Free Agent. Which is what could happen to Matsuzaka if he and the Red Sox fail to reach an agreement.

DRaze2011 · 11-29-2006, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John F

Wigginton is not the default starter at 3rd.

Jorge Cantu is not horrible in the field -- he did have an off year last year after he broke his foot. Everything fell apart.

I'm assuming Wigginton will once again play considerable time at both infield corners. Otherwise, who will play first base next year?

Even when he was fully healthy, Cantu was average at best at second base. In the minors, he came up as a shortstop and spent some time at third but wound up at second in part to hide his glove.

Thanks for the information on the posting system, bedir than average. The Rays were determined to have the winning bid back on November 15, so apparently they will have until Dec. 15 to come to agreement with Iwamura. The similar timing with Matsusaka led to the incorrect assumption on my part.

Hawkeye4 · 11-30-2006, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Cantu and BJ Upton in particular are terrible fielders.

BJ's not a bad fielder, it's just his throwing errors that really bugged me.

mets2k · 12-01-2006, 01:28 PM

http://www.japanball.com/news.phtml?id=8421

Quote:

Akinori Iwamura flew from Japan to the U.S. on Friday to continue his negotiations with the Devil Rays.

"I am just hoping we make progress with the negotiations, even if it is just one or two steps. Hopefully I will be the bearer of good news when I come back," Iwamura said. The Rays and Iwamura have until Dec. 15 to work out a contract.

bedir than average · 12-11-2006, 10:53 AM

5 Days left, still far apart

Quote:

"We feel like there is a fairly defined market of comparable Japanese players that have come to the majors leagues, and that account for the risk of never having played here," Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. "We feel it's much too big of a stretch to compare players who have never played in the majors to those who have played enough to obtain free agency."

It seems to be a similar disagreement to the issue with the Red Sox and Daisuke as well as the Rookie of the Year award. Is Japan really a top level professional league? Or is it just an unaffiliated minor league ala Mexico?

John F · 12-11-2006, 12:50 PM

It's been a mixed bag -- while there have been successes (Ichiro-san, Hideo Nomo) there have been misses as well, more misses than have been chronicled.

The Rays, going for this guy in the first place is a way to surrogate the astronomical climb in ML free agents. Alan Nero can see how the player he represents is getting short changed and holding out for what he can...

11-27-2006, 08:18 PM	#1 (permalink)
DRaze2011 Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 14	Little over two weeks to sign Iwamura Anyone heard anything more since the announcement the Rays won negotiating rights?

11-27-2006, 09:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
John F Administrator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Tampa Bay area, Florida Posts: 2,497	Haven't seen or heard anything but the entire bidding confuses the crap out of me. Not the bid processes but going after the guy. BJ Upton is currently playing third. Our draft pick this season, Evan Longoria, is fast tracked for the majors with his performance in the minors. Evan is a 3B. Now we dropped a load on Iwamura just to negotiate? Seems odd for a cash strapped team which is pledging to build from within as much as possible. It does add an asset to the franchise if he gets signed and makes someone expendable if need be. That's the same situation with the outfield. I'm not keen on trading the established players as so much the rudy-poo youngsters like Young and Dukes... But in the end, assets are assets and you should use an asset to acquire a part you need before that asset fades off into oblivion. __________________ The more they over think the plumbing, the easier to stop up the drain.

11-29-2006, 08:46 PM	#6 (permalink)
John F Administrator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Tampa Bay area, Florida Posts: 2,497	I guess he is the veteran infield presence if they get him signed, Timmer. I don't see the Rays trying to convert him to a 1B or something. The odd thing is, besides Iwamura the Rays are supposed to have Sinji Mori back (mispelled his first name). Mori is a reliever the Rays signed last year -- who subsequently had his labrum torn during spring training. I make a case against foreign veterans being used as leadership on this team but I think that is what ownership (as well as general management) are seeing in the Japanese players -- cheaper foreign talent that has played the game and has a better work ethic than some prima-donna American free agents. __________________ The more they over think the plumbing, the easier to stop up the drain.

11-29-2006, 09:48 PM	#8 (permalink)
bedir than average Administrator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Starbucks Posts: 8,256	As someone who is a Seattle fan and who once modded the now obsolete International Baseball board I can explain a few things. First the deadline to be posted is in late march. The deadline to put in a bid is four days after posting is official. Once the team with the winning bid is determined the club and player have 30 days to negotiate. If negotiations fail the player is returned to his NPB club and the NPB club returns the bid to the MLB club. The player then must remain in Japan for one year and be posted again at the end of the season. If that posting fails to reach a negotiation the player stays in Japan one last time and is then an unrestricted Free Agent. Within those two years though if a player would have been a Free Agent anyway they are then an unrestricted Free Agent. Which is what could happen to Matsuzaka if he and the Red Sox fail to reach an agreement. __________________ US Men's National Team World Cup Qualifying \| Democracy in Sports Meets My First Campaign "You're only so sure you're right because they're so sure you're wrong." Orson Scott Card in Xenocide

11-29-2006, 12:04 AM	#3 (permalink)
bierce New Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1	This team has not been rushing many people through the system since Baldelli. I don't see Longoria spending much time in Tampa this year after his huge drop off after getting to Montgomery (1/20 bb/k--.752 ops). Which is not to say that I fully understand the Iwamura thing.

11-29-2006, 04:29 PM	#4 (permalink)
Timmer Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,782	What is the status with Iwamura? When is the deadline? How do teh Rays plan to use him?

11-29-2006, 08:40 PM	#5 (permalink)
DRaze2011 Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 14	Timmer, I believe the deadline for all posted players is December 14. I guess the Rays plan to use Iwamura all around the infield. He's a gold glover on defense while the Rays were horrible in the field at just about every infield position last year. Cantu and BJ Upton in particular are terrible fielders. I suppose Iwamura could platoon with Wigginton, then act as a late-inning defensive replacement for Cantu or Upton as well as provide insurance should both continue to struggle with the bat.

12-11-2006, 12:50 PM	#13 (permalink)
John F Administrator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Tampa Bay area, Florida Posts: 2,497	It's been a mixed bag -- while there have been successes (Ichiro-san, Hideo Nomo) there have been misses as well, more misses than have been chronicled. The Rays, going for this guy in the first place is a way to surrogate the astronomical climb in ML free agents. Alan Nero can see how the player he represents is getting short changed and holding out for what he can...