Phillies Sign Two
Edit Monday 17:46 PST: Reports of these signings have been debunked by the Phillies.
According to Daily Sports, the Phillies have reached basic agreements on minor league deals with former Yokohama BayStars pitchers Shigetoshi Yamakita and Naoya Okamoto. Both lefthanded, Yamakita (32) and Okamoto (26) will report to the Phils’ minor league camp in March. Neither saw time at the top level last year, but you can see their minor league stats on NPB’s official site.
05/02/2010 at 7:08 pm Permalink
The Phillies have been pretty good recently, so maybe the can afford to add two players contaminated with the “BayStars Stench of Losing”, but I certainly would not recommend it.
06/02/2010 at 9:31 am Permalink
so maybe the can afford to add two players contaminated with the “BayStars Stench of Losingâ€, but I certainly would not recommend it.
What’s there to lose? These moves are adding pitching depth to an organization, not an long term investment like Kei Igawa. Plus, they might even be able to get away with confusing the league for a while. This move to add pitching depth is good for all teams. Just because Yokohama is bad doesn’t mean Philadelphia shouldnt seek pitching depth from players like this.
07/02/2010 at 10:48 am Permalink
Looks like the Phils are saying now, that they haven’t signed any West player.
MLB Trade Rumors posted this info a bit ago…so we don’t know the truth yet.
Would anyone venture to say Aoki comes to MLB next season?
Also, I thought 1st baseman Seung Yeop Lee of Yomuri had an out clause in his contract…that if the Giants won the Japanese Title, that he would be declared an international free agent? True? Is he going to make the dash to MLB?
07/02/2010 at 11:48 am Permalink
Looks like the Phils are saying now, that they haven’t signed any West player.
MLB Trade Rumors posted this info a bit ago…so we don’t know the truth yet.
Source?
Would anyone venture to say Aoki comes to MLB next season?
Sure. He will not come to MLB next season.
Also, I thought 1st baseman Seung Yeop Lee of Yomuri had an out clause in his contract…that if the Giants won the Japanese Title, that he would be declared an international free agent? True? Is he going to make the dash to MLB?
He does, but he chose not to exercise it. His contract pays him about $6m a year, and based on his last two seasons he would have to take a minor league contract, so he made the right call.
08/02/2010 at 4:12 am Permalink
Source was Trade Rumors…where I read it…they are saying that they (MLB Trade Rumors) have been told by the “Phillies” that no deal has been made. The website doesn’t say who on the Phillies…just a reference towards their front office. Many teams deny reports in the press, if all the “i’s” haven’t been dotted and the “t’s” crossed. So it may be very true…and they are waiting to announce this later.
On Aoki…I should have been more specific. Is Norichika an international free agent after the 2010 Japanese season? Also, do you believe when he is, that he will jump to the U.S. in 2011?
Thanks for the update on Korean Seung Yeop Lee…I did see that his numbers dropped off. More and more…it’s becoming a money thing for many athletes. Where I think for some (Ichiro, Hideki Matsui) it was to try their skills in the most advanced form of baseball on the planet.
08/02/2010 at 4:34 pm Permalink
On Aoki…I should have been more specific. Is Norichika an international free agent after the 2010 Japanese season? Also, do you believe when he is, that he will jump to the U.S. in 2011?
It won’t be after 2010 either. He has only like 5+ years of service time: [Link] which will not qualify him for free agency. He needs 9 years of service time.