Yanks go ALL-IN for Tanaka

[Dr. Detfink]

[quote=Jeff Passan 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. In the past, teams have placed blind bids on players, with the highest bid winning exclusive negotiating rights and the Japanese team pocketing the entirety of the bid. Proposals for a new system from MLB seek to limit the money going to Japan and have met resistance from teams that use monster posting fees to recapitalize.

Tanaka went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA this season, losing his first game during a 160-pitch outing in the Japan Series but coming back the next day to throw the final 15 pitches in a championship-clinching Rakuten victory. He especially appeals to the Yankees because the posting fee does not count against teams’ luxury-tax figures, and the Yankees are aiming to dip below a $189 million payroll to reset their tax rate.

Yankees officials are not concerned the rough tenures of Japanese pitchers Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa would in any way repeat themselves with Tanaka. In fact, Yankees scouts compare his temperament and makeup to a player with far more success in New York: Hideki Matsui.[/quote]

Makes me wonder, what scared the Yankees off Yu Darvish if the bidding doesn't count against the cap? I guess, the contracts of Rivera, Pettitte scared the Yanks off from adding a top arm at a most price.

The other prevailing thought is, the uncertainty of Michael Pineda's arm leaves a gaping hole in the rotation and CC Sabbathia is more of a #3 right now.

[Pharmcat]

exactly, Im all for spending wild on IFA FA where the posting system doesnt count against Tax

but why didnt they go all in for darvish, who is better than this guy>

[Dr. Detfink]

I just find Cashman's thinking to be stagnant.

Let's say the Yanks didn't think someone like Darvish was going to last (a Scott Kazmir argument with the Mets). Well, fine. Take him. Dress up his stats, then TRADE him for TOP draft picks. You can ALWAYS get quality talent for top arms. Hopefully the GM doesn't Zambrano the franchise but most times than not, there's always someone willing to talk about good arms.

He made the same mistake with Joba and Phil Hughes. Both had flashes of brilliance and Cashman was expecting them to turn into quality arms over time. He had every opportunity to move these guys for even better prospects to really stockpile that farm.

Turns out the much talked about farm system went bust.

[moocow007]

Tanaka isn't as good as Darvish, but, hey, it's better than sitting on your hands again or signing more broken down past their prime former stars to worthless contracts.

[Dr. Detfink]

I just don't like the idea of mark up bid on a less talented prospect. When it comes to evaluating pitching talent, I just don't trust this front office: Carl Pavano, AJ Burnett, Javier Vasquez x2, Kei Igawa, and Michael Pineda.

[Dr. Detfink]

Looks like Tanaka might not be available...and that's a HUGE disappointment for the Yankees who probably have to throw another $20-1 year deal for Kuroda and hope Pineda can pitch.

[damedash09]

If hes posted i don't see how the Yankees don't reel him in

[number15]

MLB is trying to get a 20 million limit on bids and give preferance to teams with bad records the previous season. This is to give the small markets a chance..... meaning Tanaka will NOT land in NYY.

if this rule comes to form

[moocow007]

MLB is trying to get a 20 million limit on bids and give preferance to teams with bad records the previous season. This is to give the small markets a chance..... meaning Tanaka will NOT land in NYY.

if this rule comes to form

How would it give preference to teams with bad records?

The rumor is that they would cap the posting amount to $20 million and allow whichever teams (plural) that posts the most to negotiate with that player (right now there is no limit on how much a MLB team can post). In Tanakas case this could mean you'll have probably at least a half dozen teams posting the max $20 million fee and all being able to negotiate with Tanaka. This still would favor large market teams with deep pockets. The reason small market teams pushed for this is not so they can sign the big guys like Darvish and Tanaka, it's to potentially deter Japanese teams from posting their top players since they won't be able to collect what likely would be an ever increasing posting fee AND to force the deep pocket teams to compete and drive the price to sign these players up. Doing so then potentially result in more money going to the pockets of small market teams via the taxing of big salary teams and MLBs revenue sharing/redistribution.

What would work against the Yankees isn't directly related to the rule change per se...it's because the posting fee isn't taxable and under the old system the team that posts the most has EXCLUSIVE negotiation rights..

So they could have, for example, placed a fee of $50 million to Tanakas Japanese club, get EXCLUSIVE negotiating rights to Tanaka and sign him to, say, a 5 year $55 million deal...since Tanaka wouldn't be able to negotiate with any other team, he'd either have to take it or go back to Japan. Under this new posting system, they may not have to spend near as much from a posting standpoint ($20 million), but now with a whole bunch of teams negotiating with Tanaka you may now be looking at a 5 year $85 million contract. So even though the total in both scenarios is $105 million, if we assume a $1 tax to $1 salary in luxury tax...it would cost the Yankees $190 million under the new posting system vs. $160 million under the old system. But that likely wouldn't be what scares them the most...it's that because the player salary is larger it'll be harder for them to stay under the $189 million cap.

[Dr. Detfink]

If he's available to bid on, the Yanks will go for him. What the Yanks have so far isn't enough despite that all-star outfield Cashman is trying to showcase.

[GnarlesOakley]

The longer this goes on, the less I feel like it is going to happen.

[Dr. Detfink]

I know. They need SP with Pineda uncertain.

[moocow007]

Cole Hamels is on the market. How much salary to take on will probably depend on what the Yanks want to include in terms of prospects.

[Rich Rane]

Cole Hamels is on the market. How much salary to take on will probably depend on what the Yanks want to include in terms of prospects.

I'm guessing the Yanks don't have enough prospects for Hamels, Cliff Lee, or Chase Utley (Holy crap, how does Roy Hallady not have a ring?).

[Dr. Detfink]

Halliday doesn't have a ring because like Cliff Lee, he went to Philly instead of NY.

[Butch718]

Yanks could have had Halladay for two good years of production if they parted with Hughes and Joba. It would have worked out too because Hughes and Joba never panned out anyway.

[Dr. Detfink]

Looks like Yanks will be getting this Tanaka guy. I mean, they desperately need a starter.

Kuroda: Good enough for one year, hopefully no second half collapse

CC: Days of being an ace are over. More like a #3

Nova: Gritty #4 or #5 starter

Phelps: Either now or never

the Wild card is Pineda...IF...IF he can give the Yanks ONE decent season, then adding Tanaka, I like our chances.

[Vides990]

No it doesn't, looks like Tanaka will be in Japan next yr......

[Dr. Detfink]

Naw they just want more than $20M...

[moocow007]

Naw they just want more than $20M...

Who wants more than $20M? His team in Japan? If MLB goes with what the poor owners are pushing that $20M is all that his team will get.