HOG DODGERS BAG ANOTHER JAPANESE PHENOM

Well, well, well. It seems the Los Angeles Dodgers have done it again. Just when you thought they couldn’t possibly stuff any more Japanese talent into their overflowing roster, they’ve gone and snatched up Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese pitching sensation whose fastball casually cruises past 100 mph. Yep, the Dodgers are basically the piggy bank of MLB, hoarding all the shiny coins, and now they’ve added Sasaki to their already sparkling collection. They're hog slobs.

In a move that surprised absolutely no one, Sasaki took to Instagram to announce his intentions to sign with you guessed it the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Sorry, Yankees, Marlins, Red Sox – you guys never really had a shot. The Dodgers, sitting pretty on the West Coast, holding all the cards, are now the undisputed kings of MLB.

Remember those good old days when the Yankees and Red Sox had that heated rivalry, battling it out for the likes of Hideki Matsui, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Masahiro Tanaka? Yeah, that’s ancient history. Back then, the East Coast was all the rage. Now? It’s clear as day – the Dodgers are the new dynasty, and the East Coast teams are left picking up the scraps.

Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and now Roki Sasaki – it’s like the Dodgers have a direct line to Japan, or maybe a magnet that pulls in every top-tier Japanese pitcher. What’s that? San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays were also in the mix? Cute. But let's be honest, they were just there to fill out the roster of potential suitors.

Sasaki’s Instagram post was all humble gratitude, thanking his supporters and expressing his excitement about wearing the Dodgers uniform. He called it a tough decision, but let’s face it, how tough could it really be when the Dodgers come knocking? It's LA, baby! Dammit!

And let’s not forget all that agent chatter about small-market teams – yeah, that clearly went straight out the window. LA is massive, much like NY, but with better weather and fewer existential crises about whether the team will make it past the postseason.

So here we are, with Sasaki joining Ohtani and the gang, setting up the Dodgers for even more domination. They came to win, and they’re here to win for a long, long time. The rest of the league? Well, you might want to start scouting the next generation of international talent, because the Dodgers are playing on a whole different level.

Good for Roki. Good for the Dodgers. But let's be clear, the Yankees have done terrific things this offseason, so it's time to focus on them now that this guy went west.  

Let's go Yanks! I smell a World Series rematch!

ROKI SASAKI'S AGENT SPILLS THE TEA. DECISION LOOMING.

The baseball world is buzzing as Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki is in the driver’s seat of his MLB journey. With an impressive 20 teams vying for his talents, the pitcher’s agent, Scott Wolfe, dropped some important info about what’s next for Sasaki and his highly anticipated decision.

Here’s the scoop: Sasaki isn’t just another prospect being wooed—he’s the captain of his own ship. Wolfe revealed that Sasaki has asked for players from interested teams to sit out the recruitment process. Yep, no star-studded Zoom calls or locker room tours for this guy. It’s all about the pitching...pun intended.

So far, 20 teams have made their case to land the young ace, but the field is about to shrink. Sasaki is expected to start cutting down his options soon, with possible second meetings for the lucky finalists. His top priority? Teams with killer development programs. Translation: franchises that know how to take a talent like Sasaki and turn him into the superstar he’s destined to be.

Projections for Sasaki’s deal hover around four years and $10 million. That feels modest for the phenom. And all this talk reminds me of the cautionary tale of Kei Igawa. Remember when the Yankees were eyeing Daisuke Matsuzaka back in the day, only for the Red Sox to snag him? The Yanks ended up with Igawa instead, and, well...let’s just say it didn’t go as planned.

Back then, the Red Sox dropped a jaw-dropping $51 million just for the chance to negotiate with Matsuzaka. Meanwhile, Yankees GM Brian Cashman landed Igawa, a “back-of-the-rotation starter” and later a “potential middle reliever”. Igawa, sadly, didn’t live up to even those tempered hopes.

But Sasaki? He’s a whole different story. This time for the Yankees and a Japanese pitcher it’s about writing a new chapter.

For teams like the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, and other contenders, patience is the name of the game. Wolfe hinted that a decision might not come until January 23. That’s right—there’s still time for fans to speculate, dream, and maybe even stress a little.

So, buckle up. The Roki Sasaki saga is just heating up, and whether he ends up in pinstripes, blue and orange, or somewhere else entirely, one thing’s for sure: this young pitcher is a game-changer in the making.

Stay tuned.

THE BIG JAPANESE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

I’ll tackle this bad boy!  I’ll say it.  My concern with Masahiro Tanaka goes deeper than his partially torn elbow ligament...that will or won’t need surgery at some point in his career.

No, what troubles me is that I can’t think of one highly touted Japanese hurler that panned out to be the game changer he was rumored to be before making the trip across the Pacific.

I have a buddy who has bought Volkswagen Jetta after Volkswagen Jetta.  Yet every time he gets one he will complain to me that, “As soon as the warranty is up it sounds like I have a tea set under the hood.”  Basically he is saying that the car is a headache in the making after the 5th oil change…and yet he buys them as if he didn’t have any other choice!  Maybe he should go with a BMW or Range Rover…maybe an Acura or Kia…or maybe…BUY AMERICAN!

Nomo, Dice K, Irabu, I’d say Igawa, but…well, you know that story.  They come over, make big money, have one good year and then the Major League hitters time that leg hitch or odd delivery and tee off like John Daly after 4 or 5 Bloody Mary’s. And yet…MLB GM’s still feel the need to pay top dollar for players that just might not be that good.

Look, I really like Tanaka.  He seems like a class act.  He is humble and works hard.  His spilty is NASTY…but puts tremendous strain on the elbow.  What happen when it goes “POP”?  Then he will rely on a hittable fastball and possibly have to learn some different breaking stuff…while collecting crazy money to be a number 4 or 5 starter.

I am not looking to bring doom and gloom to the otherwise happy days in the Yankee Universe.  This is just something I have wanted to get out there for discussion.  Masahiro is good…but he probably won’t be great…and hopefully won’t join the list of Japanese heroes that transform into Major League zeroes.

Food for thought….

** Yeeeah, Chuck!  Tell ‘em what time it is Bhoy! **




 
--Mike O'Hara Senior "Features" Writer
Twitter: @mikeyoh21


 




You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

TANAKA TAKES RIGHETTI'S #19

Masahiro Tanaka has chosen his number.  While he was in Japan, he wore #18.  But now, with Hiroki Kuroda wearing 18, Tanaka had to choose another.  He chose #19 the former number of good old Dave Righetti.

The Yankees tweeted this picture below of the new uniform of Tanaka. Looks like he just took the next best number, the one closest to 18. Check it out:

The #Yankees pinstripes are ready for Tanaka. pic.twitter.com/qMd5Xx8i0a
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) January 24, 2014

I read an interesting nugget that I wasn't aware of. #18 in Japan is a very unique honor. In fact, I was reading Wikipedia and it said this about Japanese baseball and 18:

"In Nippon Professional Baseball, the Japanese big leagues, the number 18 is often reserved for the ace pitcher. Upon arriving in the MLB, Japanese "import" pitchers have sought the number again (notably Hiroki Kuroda, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Hisashi Iwakuma)."

Interesting right?

Anyway, I thought I'd bring that to you... enjoy your Sunday. I cannot wait until Spring Training!

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

"I FEEL LIKE I BOUGHT THE WHOLE ALBUM AFTER HEARING 1 SONG!"

I had a great discussion with one of my writers today.  Let me rephrase... I spoke to pretty much all of my writers today in regards to the Masahiro Tanaka signing all were fun chats, but 1 conversation with Mike O'Hara needed to be published because the conversation was rich with nuggets, humor, concern and joy... all wrapped up into 1.  Truth be told, it's what Yankeeland is feeling right now and so, I wanted to share it.  Don't worry, Mike knows.  Check this out:

Mike O'Hara: "Tanaka was needed, but I hope he is the real deal and not in the Nomo, Irabu, Dice K, Igawa mold... One good year and then everybody times and tees off. 

And why not just call it a 4 year deal? The opt-out is almost always taken. We may have just begun paying for this kid. Fingers crossed. Still need some pen help. Lots of money and lots of questions."

Casey: "That's what my buddy Mike said. He said "I hope he doesn't suck." He needs to be great for 4 years and we need to win so he doesn't want to leave. The Yankees are banking on that.

Mike O'Hara: "Almost a billion and the only guy I am 100% sold on is Brian McCann. He is a bulldog, good defender, leader and the pop will meet the porch.  

The rest are "hope so" guys. Ellsbury has all the tools but aside from 2011, he isn't worth the dollars we're paying. Guess we'll see. Wish we could develop core again. The buying in the 80's didn't work on it's own. The mix that Stick created was the key.  George's dollars Michael's know how."

Casey: "Gotta stay positive now.  The Yankees did what the fans wanted. Now we have to live with it."

Mike O'Hara: "I am very happy that they were aggressive in trying to fix the problems. That is a positive. I just hope they aren't buying carelessly. Should be a fun season all the same."

Casey: "They are buying carelessly, you know that. It's George Part 2."

Mike O'Hara: "Haha. I don't see Hal & Hank as anywhere near George the Great, but I'll say this, they are trying."

Casey: "No. But my point is, they realized they blew it last year and they've now overcompensated. Who knows... Fingers crossed." 

Mike O'Hara: "On Tanaka, I just tweeted my friend "I feel like I bought the whole album after hearing 1 good song... let that record spin and hope it's a classic."

Now... that's honesty and real in the mind of a Yankee fan right now. Mixed emotions.  Look, we signed some great players this off season and yes, the word on the street is Tanaka is "lights out", so the bottom line was we needed to sign him.  I didn't want to go through the Yu Darvish "damn we missed out" crap. We needed to roll the dice on Tanaka, we needed to find out... that's the bottom line.

The Yankees made some very good moves this off season.  They also spent a lot of money.  It was money they had to spend after a disappointing 2013.  2014 is the year ladies and gentlemen. Yankee brass will not be humiliated again.  It was bad enough we didn't make the playoffs in 2013... but when the Red Sox won it all, it was clear, we blew it and they knew that. 

It can't happen again, hence, welcome to the Bronx Masahiro Tanaka.

Thanks for the chat today Mike and thanks for being a great help on Bleeding Yankee Blue... we're happy to have you.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

THE YANKEES NEED TO GET SPITEFUL NOW

Jacoby Ellsbury needs to wear number 24.

Now, I know it’s beneath the New York Yankees to do this, but hear me out, because I think it’s brilliant.

When a player makes a mad dash from New York and signs with a team like the Seattle Mariners, like Robinson Cano just did, it’s a big F U to the team that “raised” him.  After all, he was talented and it’s no secret that the Yankees loved him at second base, the fans did too, despite the lack of hustle. But let’s be clear… the fans made him a superhero in the Bronx and now that Seattle officially signed him, we know that he’s thumbed his nose at us all. He never cared about the pinstripes and he sure as hell didn’t care about us.  He cared about money.  I was right… he’s selfish, greedy and pathetic.

I’ve stated here that reputation is a valuable thing and Cano’s is now tarnished in the Bronx.  There is no going back. He’ll now have his group of Seattle fans that love him. He’ll have Felix Hernandez, a tainted Jesus Montero and not much else.  In other words, the bill of goods that Mariner brass sold him on being a "baseball legend" sucked him in… all because the price tag was over the $200 million mark.  He signed with the Mariners for the money, not for the team.  He wants to be a legend… in Seattle of all places, with the likes of Starbucks and Kurt Cobain… OK… whatever… good for him.

Oh and let me be clear, this is in no way a knock on the Mariners fans. You have your team and you just got a terrific piece.  My beef is not with you... mine is with that money hungry second baseman we used to have. 

So now the Yankees need to market wisely.  They need to be smug, snarky, spiteful.  They need to stick it to Cano, almost like he never existed in the Bronx.  Much like the Red Sox did when Daisuke Matsuzaka signed with them, trotting him out in Johnny Damon’s old number 18 after Damon darted to the Bronx. The Yankees should announce Jacoby Ellsbury next week, in Cano’s old #24. They should do it because Cano never cared about being a Yankees, so why should we try and preserve it for him?

In other words, Hey Junior, Right here. 

If there is 1 player that can make the memory of Cano in the Bronx disappear, it’s Jacoby Ellsbury, trust me. For 1, he hustles and plays the game hard. Plus, it will also bring a smile to my face, not to mention it will be a big F U right back at greedy Robbie boy.

I don’t like selfishness. I makes me mad.  I don’t like it when my own kids do it and I sure as hell don’t like it when it happens with my team and our players.  I keep hearing stupid statements about Cano, like, “He did the right thing to secure his future with that deal in Seattle.”  Really? If he signed a 7 year deal with the Yankees for $180 million it would have been plenty, not to mention the endorsements, the fan base and the history he would have long after he retired in New York.  He’d be on a list of Yankee greats with guys like Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter.

(In Photo: Ken Phelps)
Instead, he’s aiming to be placed in Seattle as an "artificial" captain and will go into the history books as one of the richest ballplayers ever and will be in the Mariners record books with guys like Ken Phelps, Mark Langston and Edgar Martinez.  OK then… I guess it works for him.

Finally... I wanted to share this with you because to be honest, the Cano saga is over now for me and I'm pretty much done with it.  He's been exposed... he's money hungry, case closed.  Check this out: Paul O'Neill tweeted this to Robbie late yesterday... It's genius:

Oh Robby.... There's no place like New York and no team like the Yankees!
— Paul O'Neill (@PaulONeillYES) December 6, 2013

Say no more... I love the Warrior and that puts everything in perspective, doesn't it? Players want to come to New York... not leave it Robbie... sorry you didn't realize that until now.

The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

GO BOLD OR GO HOME!

When it comes to Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees will go hard.  "Hard" isn't even the right word though... "Bold" is.

According to Jeff Passan's piece for Yahoo Sports, "Sources with knowledge of the Yankees’ plans said they are “going to be bold” in bidding on the 25-year-old right-hander when the Rakuten Golden Eagles post him, likely later this month. Just how high the Yankees plan on going is unclear, but executives believe the winning bid for the rights to negotiate a contract with Tanaka will top $75 million, nearly a 50 percent premium over the posting fees for Yu Darvish and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

One of the main holdups: Nobody knows what the bidding process even looks like, as Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball continue to hash out the details of the posting system."

If you're a Yankee fan, you see glimpses of 2009 when the Yanks went out and got CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira. You think about the good ol' days, when the Yankees went out and signed the top guys to field the best team they could.  Let's hope this is the start of it again.  Let's also hope that Masahiro Tanaka wasn't oversold and that he's the real thing and that we can get bidding rights to eventually lock him in.

I like this report, and I'm looking forward to this, if the sources are true.  We need some new evergy to mix in with our veterans and I hope this works out in our favor, don't you?

The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

PRIOR, VAZQUEZ, MATSUZAKA & KATE UPTON

Let's face it, there isn't a ton of news reading about Mark Prior, Javier and Daisuke Matsuzada, but there are some good nuggets... plus, Kate Upton's been up to some stuff too.  Can't leave her out...

Mark Prior: Prior is in the best shape of his life.  Thank God.  According to Comcast Sportsnet Chicago, He wants one more shot.  Read about it HERE.

Javier Vazquez: The Nationals like Vazquez, but Vazquez isn't sure if the Nationals is for him.  That comes from the Washington Post, read HERE. Yankee fans are hoping Vazquez is NOT on the radar for the Yankees.  BYB wrote WILL THE YANKEES REUNITE WITH JAVIER VAZQUEZ? and we've been getting a lot of concern from Yankee fans about it.  

Daisuke Matsuzada:  According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.com, Matsuzada has just signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians.  You can read Jon HERE.

Kate Upton: Upton has done it again.  She is appearing on her second Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover, back to back... read HERE.  Photo above.  This past year she's been all over the place, including Bleeding Yankee Blue.  Congrats to Upton, and well... there are a lot of men happy with the choice I'm sure.

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

HEY TEXAS... WHAT CAN DARVISH DO FOR YU?

Being a Yankees fan born and raised in Queens, New York City and now living in Dallas, writing about the Rangers feels like being a Russian matryoshka doll. It offers a unique perspective.
Let's face it: baseball is, compared to the East coast, a relatively new concept in the state of Texas. Being able to see the impact of a major potential transaction of a player like Yu Darvish, arguably the hottest baseball topic today, through the eyes of a baseball fan with a Yankees heart, on what could be called a "budding" Texas baseball team, could be like trying a new restaurant for the first time - you'll either hate it or keep coming back for more.

Let's get the stats out of the way: In seven seasons with the (Japanese) NPB's Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, the young Darvish posted a 93-38 record, with an overall ERA of 1.99. If you're not already impressed, he has recorded 1,250 strikeouts over 167 games and 55 complete games. Ostensibly, the NPB's regular seasons are shorter (anywhere between 130 to 140 games) but his numbers reflect stamina and an aggression that has his pitches averaging 94.67 mph.
There are a number of concerns that Darvish will not be ready for the American majors. You can barely utter his name before someone throws out the name Daisuke Matsuzaka or, as he is best known, Dice-K. Picked up by Boston in 2007, many have considered him somewhat of a disappointment, as Red Sox fans watched his starting job slip away along with his ERA, which fell from a career-best 2.90 in 2008 to a dismal 5.30 through 7 starts. Since undergoing Tommy John surgery on June 10^th, Dice-K has been a non-factor in the Boston rotation. No one can predict the future: if this is to be Darvish's fate, then so be it. In the words of John Sterling and everyone else who quotes him, "You can't predict baseball."As many teams lined up to bid on Darvish like nerds waiting outside a Green Lantern premiere on midnight, many were surprised when the Texas Rangers won first rights with an offering of approximately $51.7 million.

Coming off a disappointing World Series loss for the second year in a row, many Rangers fans are left wondering, "What went wrong?" Fingers immediately point at their starting rotation, which was strong during the regular season but seemed to falter in the postseason, notably a disappointing CJ Wilson, who recorded a loss in all three postseason series: the Division Series, League Championship series and World Series. The potential acquisition of Yu Darvish literally has Rangers fans awaiting with bated breath to see if their team, which started as a Washington, DC expansion in 1961 and moved to Arlington, Texas in 1971, will win their bid by the 4:00pm deadline on January 18, 2012.(In Photo: Ted Williams, Denny Mclain, Curt Flood)
Picture this: April 9, 2012 at the Ballpark in Arlington, starting pitcher Yu Darvish, who would most likely sport his current number 11 jersey, faces the Seattle Mariners' lead off hitter - Ichiro Suzuki - the pride of Japan. Smart Rangers players will see this as the promised land of baseball in the south. Financially, almost every baseball television set in Japan would be tuned in, no matter the time. Darvish/Rangers gear would fly off the shelves, domestically and overseas. Moreover, the star power added to the Rangers could make them comparable to the Los Angeles Angels in their American League West division, whom have acquired their now-Texas hated CJ Wilson and future-Hall of Famer Albert Pujols, who comes off his second World Series win.

Above all else, how does this affect us, the awesome, wonderful, amazing Yankees fan base? If you're like me, you're still looking for a rematch against the Rangers since our elimination in 2010. Texas' increased viability in the American League would make them a worthy contender, as it is this author's opinion that they enjoy the benefit of an easy schedule and a lackluster division, with the Angels fell short of even making the playoffs in 2010-2011 and the A's being an absolute non-factor. The addition of Darvish might be the puzzle piece that the Rangers need that would finally shut their critics up, me, who make statements such as, "Yeah, they're an okay team." Give credit where credit is due; they may have lost both times but the Rangers have become a championship team. If there is a fan out there of the "bigger" teams, the Phillies, Yankees, or Red Sox, that isn't worried about them, they would be highly deluded. I remember a while ago Casey wrote a piece titled WHY A NEW RIVALRY IS EMERGING and with good reason...the Rangers are competitors now.I would love to see Darvish in pinstripes playing in Yankee Stadium alongside CC, Joba, DRob and, the greatest of all time, Mo. However, his addition to the Texas Rangers will mean good things for the Dallas area, Texas sports and baseball in general. The Yankees showed the Rangers that the 2010-2011 ALCS was a thing of the past, winning the regular season series 7-2 (recording two consecutive 12-4 wins). With the addition of Darvish, a 2012 Yankees-Rangers ALCS showdown would be a rematch worthy of prime time viewing. Consider this my Russian nesting doll unveiling: if I'm forced to be a Yankees fan in Dallas, I am determined to be excited about baseball, no matter what.



--Fox Luu, BYB Guest Writer



Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY THE YANKEES DIDN'T WOO YU

Marc Carig of the Star Ledger has the story. Read it HERE. In a nutshell, the Yankees are "not getting" Yu Darvish. This coming from a person with knowledge of the situation. Marc says that was revealed "on condition of anonymity because the posting process is still ongoing."

Look, I think very early on, it was exciting to think about Yu Darvish in pinstripes. But many people wondered what type of pitcher he could be in the Major Leagues. That being said, it wouldn't be out of the question for a powerhouse like the Yankees to take a chance. I wrote in WHY IT COULD BE A TEXAS “YU” STEP that the atmosphere in Yankeeland this time around just didn't feel like it did in the past when we were bidding on Daisuke Matsuzaka and when we signed Hideki Matsui. The waiting this time around wasn't exciting, it was instead...flat.

Marc continued in his piece: "The Yankees submitted a bid. But the only way they can emerge with Darvish is if it proves to be the highest on the table, and the person with knowledge said the Yankees' bid will not be high enough to top those they believe were submitted by a pair of American League rivals, the Rangers and Blue Jays.

"A ridiculous number," the person with knowledge said, while declining to offer exact figures."

Look Yankeeland... assume this ship has sailed and let's move on. The Yankees weren't interested, it's clear, because if they were, they would have thrown an very high bid at Yu and the rights to negotiate with him would have been theirs. This time around, it was clear, the Yankees were willing to try and win it, but they weren't going to "really" try. That means 2 things to me, they are saving their money for a sure thing, or they are scarred from Japanese sensations like Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa showing Japan everything they have, but showing major league hitters in the United States much less. The Yankees can say the bad signing of Kei Igawa didn't factor into their bid (Read HERE), and maybe it wasn't, but mentally, it was. No one wants to get burned twice and I know it was always in the back of their mind.

So what happens next? Well, once it's confirmed that the Yankees didn't win the bid and the Blue Jays did, the Yanks will either stay set with what they have, make a few minor moves and get ready for spring training, or some big is about to happen. To be honest, I'm hoping for the latter, after all, we're the mighty New York Yankees and all this hurry up and wait is killing me softly. After all, it's almost Christmas... I want a big gift to help Jeter and company kick some ass in 2012... how about you?

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY IT COULD BE A TEXAS “YU” STEP

I hate the waiting game. The baseball world is watching. I think about how the Mets are in this funk right now and realize it could be worse for the Yankees, after all they have a real good ball club, but for Christmas all I really want is a starter. The waiting game for Yu Darvish is draining.

Watching Peter Gammons refer to the Nippon Ham Fighters as “Foo Fighters” was at least relief during this waiting game. I heard him say it last night on MLB and I have to admit, I laughed. I guess we have to laugh because if I had to predict, it would be the Texas Rangers who will be the ones who win this sweepstakes for Yu.

The Yankees reportedly made a “modest” offer for negotiating rights, read HERE and to be honest, I don’t know if I believe it or not. The way this winter is going for the Yankees, it almost makes sense that they would push hard for Yu and then, all this hurry up and wait the Yankees are doing would all make sense. I just don’t know what to make of it.

I remember how exciting it was when the Yankees signed Hideki Matsui and the lead up to it had a true live energy in Yankeeland. I remember when Daisuke Matsuzaka was being bid on, there was an exciting energy in New York that we might get him. True, he went to the Red Sox, but the energy was different than it is now with Yu Darvish. New York seems flat right now, like we know it's not going to happen for us. There was confidence among Yankee fans then, not now.

This waiting game for me is personally nerve racking, not exciting. The information is coming out in drips and drabs and while there are a lot of teams that put a bid in, I just am not so sure the Yankees have this one in the bag. Again, I feel like it’s the Rangers. Which brings me to another point. Would Yu even decide at that point he’s coming to the states? It’s been reported that he’s perfectly happy staying with the Nippon Ham Fighters, which, to put it simply, it would have to be a pretty good team to want to come to the United States...a team with a true chance to win. I have no doubt that the Yankees need to be that team, but I put nothing past Texas. They lost CJ Wilson and they’ll need a leader on that rotation. Yu could be that leader where in New York, CC is our leader. That being said, ego needs to take a back seat to winning as a team and I just hope the Yanks have lied to us all and the bid for Yu is more than modest, otherwise… there’s a very big chance the Texas Rangers would win this battle. I hope not. After all, it just wouldn’t be Christmas without a big gift under my tree this year.

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu.

WHY I'LL CONVINCE YOU ON YU

Earlier this year, I wrote a piece on Japanese phenom Yu Darvish titled WHY YU COULD BE THE ANSWER. I know... we’ve all heard this story before: a studly Japanese pitcher dominates in Japan, impresses in the World Baseball Classic, gets a massive contract in the US, then he turns out to be a dud on the Major League stage. I’ve hear a lot of people calling Darvish "Dice-K 2.0", but a quick look at his numbers shows that this could not be more wrong. The following are the NPB career ERAs for each of the two pitchers.

(In Photo: Daisuke Matsuzaka)

• Daisuke Matsuzaka: 2.95 ERA
• Yu Darvish: 2.01 ERA
  

Their career ERAs are separated by 0.94, nearly a whole run per 9 innings. Trying to compare Dice-K’s success to Darvish’s would be on the same level as saying that Jaime Garcia’s 2011 season (3.56 ERA) is essentially the same as Justin Verlander’s (2.40 ERA). To be frank, it’s not even a close comparison.

Even Matsuzaka’s best season in which he posted a 2.13 ERA doesn’t match up with Darvish’s career average. Similarly, the only time in his career in which Darvish posted an ERA over Matsuzaka’s career 2.95 was his rookie year. The only other time he came close to the average again was his 2.89 in his sophomore season. Since then, he has made NPB hitters look helpless, recording 5 straight seasons with an ERA under 2. If I haven’t made my point, just take a brief look at his 2011 season numbers, his best to date:

1.49 ERA, 17-6, 223 IP, 27 starts (averaging just under 8.1 IP/G), 10.53 K/9, 1.41 BB/9, 9 complete games, 5 shutouts, 7.46 K/BB

Dominant, durable, and only 25. Proof of being able to pitch in the MLB be damned, Darvish is arguably the greatest pitcher we have ever seen come out of Japan, and he is reportedly open to pitching on short rest and is not nearly as anal about routines as Dice-K is. Some consider it a gamble, but when is bringing a new player to the Bronx not a gamble? I say pay the absurd $60 million posting fee and sign him to a 6 year, $55 million contract. Who knows, maybe he won’t turn out to be Kei Igawa.

(In Photo: Kei Igawa)

Even if playing in the MLB causes his ERA to go from 1.49 to 2.98, less than $20 million per year would be a steal when CC Sabathia is getting paid nearly a quarter of a million. Darvish is no Matsuzaka, no Hideki Irabu, and sure as hell no Kei Igawa. In my opinion, after getting everything done with CC and Cashman, Darvish should be the Yankees’ #1 target this offseason.

--Grant Cederquist, BYB Staff Writer



Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.