Movement Notes: Okajima, Yokohama, Bae
A couple of notes to pass along as we head into the weekend…
- The Hanshin Tigers have some interest in the recently non-tendered Hideki Okajima. Team director Shoji Numazawa explains, as quoted in Sansop:Â “Will we look into him? Yes. Because, you know, he’s a pitcher. It’s not that we don’t have interest. But as I’m always saying, we’re not going to have a bidding war with the Majors. He’s a pitcher so we have some interest. And then there’s money and his age and things. But to say we have no interest would be a lie.” Hanshin has been done a lefty since injuries claimed the career of Jeff Williams a couple years ago. Casey Fossum wasn’t able to fill his shoes in 2010.
- The Yokohama BayStars have signed pitchers Brandon Mann and Clayton Hamilton, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Mann and Hamilton have mostly toiled in the lower minors, and worked out for Yokohama back in October
- Sponichi has reported that Yakult has a basic agreement with Korean pitcher Young-Soo Bae.
03/12/2010 at 11:54 pm Permalink
Yeah, there should be no shortage of MLB teams for Okajima as a LOOGY. Even with his offseason. I guarantee at least a half dozen to a dozen teams will be interested and he will get at least a million next year and stay in the MLB. Anyway is there any reports that he evens wants to go back to Japan? So is this wishful thinking on Hanshin side or to fill the sections of the Japanese sports dailies?
If he’s successful next year and rebounds, they’ll be more MLB teams willing to give him a multi year deal. IMHO, its not that Hanshin cant outspend a MLB team, its that Okajima doesnt want to play in NPB. Your thoughts, Patrick?
04/12/2010 at 12:01 am Permalink
Also Mann and Hamilton have been used as starters they remind of that one starter a few years back for the Carp, Ken Rayborn, just with less experience and at a lower level. Rayborn made it all way to AAA with Marty Brown while he was at Buffalo. Time will tell if this duo will be another Rayborn or a success. At the low level at A, I’m going with the latter, though I love to see them suceed so more NPB teams take players that have no future prospects at A and end stuck there which I never understood why many NPB teams are so unwilling to stash up on A players with no future then stash them at ni-gun or as ikusei players. I mean there is no organizational limit for foreign players, just how many can be on the ichi-gun(top level).
04/12/2010 at 2:26 am Permalink
I thought Numazawa made a fairly candid comment, and Okajima would fit a team need, which is why I published the comment. I don’t see any wishful thinking in Numazawa’s remarks.
Okajima’s best financial offers will almost come from MLB teams, but I have read him say in more than one interview that he misses Japan. A quick google search found this one: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/07/28/hideki-okajima-talks-about-homesickness-loneliness-and-his-poor-relationship-with-boston-media/
I think it’s more likely that he’ll stay in MLB, but I wouldn’t be that surprised if he heads back to Japan. Perhaps a move to the West Coast work well for him.
04/12/2010 at 3:18 am Permalink
I see, I just never got the impression he missed Japan. Though if I were Okajima one thing for certain I definetly wouldnt miss the Boston media and fans, the media is okay but tough, and well their fans are crazy and too many bandwagons after winning the Series in 04 and 07 who bitch too much, I mean they take over any stadium, so as a Orioles fan I guess I’m biased against Boston fans as they were like 30-1 at OPACY and there rude as ever like they own the place screaming obscenties like you can say crap about any of their players.
05/12/2010 at 11:18 am Permalink
I know what you mean about the Boston fans. I actually used to think they were the best fans in baseball — they used to cheer when a player on the visiting team made a great defensive play. I don’t know if they do that as much any more. There are a lot of bandwagon-jumping fair weather Red Sox fans here in the Bay Area, and it is a little annoying.
On the other, the people I’ve talked to in the Boston media have been pretty universally great, so that’s been a positive experience.
05/12/2010 at 1:32 pm Permalink
Yeah, I like their media myself I like Sean McAdam(that if he still works for the Globe if i think that is), what I meant is I found players complain about their media. Their millionaires, I cant see complaining on it.
10/12/2010 at 1:00 am Permalink
Korean sources have confimed today that Bae will not be signing with Yakult.
They were extremely close to a 1+1 agreement, but it seems Yakult wasn’t happy with Bae’s medical tests (they made him do it three times;; whoa). It is rumored that it is probably due to Bae’s unstable liver health… Hepatitis B to be exact.
So Bae will probably be returning to his team, the Samsung Lions – and the Lions said that they will welcome him back.
An unexpected turn of events…. Things are quite interesting with Samsung this winter. I mean look at who they just picked up for their new big bat. Never expected to see Ryan Garko there… even if he’s been going downhill ever since 2009 and had a hellish season this year at AAA. Ah, yes, Satoru Kanemura (dunno if I spelled it right) of Hanshin also signed with Samsung as a new starter.
On another note, Hei-chun Lee went back to his old team, the Doosan Bears. A one year contract (due to KBO’s international FA policies) for 1.1 bil Won.
10/12/2010 at 5:11 am Permalink
Now, if Yakult gave up on Bae, they’re probably moving fast to get one or two new foreign pitchers to fill up their starter rotation, or possibly even the bullpen. Any ideas on who that might be?
I personally wish they’d get de la Cruz back (I mean Yakult dumped him only a couple of weeks ago). He was always kinda” amusing” to watch….
10/12/2010 at 11:13 pm Permalink
The Japanese media had the same reports, though less detailed. Not sure who Yakult will wind up to replace him.