Breaking News: Ichiro Close To 5 Year Extension

[SportsWorld]

ESPN says it could be worth more than $100,000,000.
Nice job by the Mariners front office for getting this done.

[Ex-hippie]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/s ... iro10.html

That's waaaaaaaaaaaaaaayy too much money.

But if you have to spend waaaaaaaaaaaaaaayy too much money on someone, let it be a "face of the franchise" guy like Ichiro.

Next year's starting outfield should be Adam Jones (LF), Ichiro (CF) and Wladimir Balentien (RF). Broussard should be the DH, Guillen should be re-signed as a backup OF (or else allowed to go, if he wants starter money again), Ibanez should spend his twilight years as a bat off the bench, Vidro should be sent packing.

The starting outfield will make a combined $20.7 million, which is reasonable.

EDIT: I would be remiss if I failed to point out my reservations about keeping a speed merchant until he's almost 40, which I've expressed before. Here's hoping I'm wrong.

[Sweezo]

Holy dump. That's a lot of cash. And if he hit the free agent market he'd make way more. I'm not worried about Ichiro breaking down anytime soon...seems he's tailor made to to keep going at a high level for awhile.

Is it alot of money? Yes. But he's the face of the franchise, and allows the team to make their money back and then some.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Yee-f**king-haw!

[Bay_Areas_Finest]

YES! I've been switching back between the World Series of Poker and the All-Star game, and this news was reported right when I was on the game. Pretty exciting stuff for us M's fans!

Sure, its a lot of money, but Ichiro has done so much for our franchise, is one of the better players in the game, and is the face of our team. And, as pointed out, he'd make even more than that on the FA marker, most likely.

WE LOVE ICHIRO!

[Basketball Jesus]

EDIT: I would be remiss if I failed to point out my reservations about keeping a speed merchant until he's almost 40, which I've expressed before. Here's hoping I'm wrong.

Ah, yes, the rub. I've mentioned before I agree that a long-term deal is a huge risk for someone who relies on speed in almost every facet of his game but Ichiro is a physical anomaly in that regard. His workout ethic is legendary and I don't think it'd be a stretch to assume a Rickey Henderson-level of speed into his late 30s.

[Sweezo]

And from a long time fan standpoint...

Goddammit it's nice to see us keep a superstar player in this city. I tire of seeing them shipped off and rendering their Seattle days but a distant memory.

[BlackMamba]

wow, what an amount of money!!!!


but like some already pointed out, he would deserve it. and its nice the mariners are doing what they can to really keep him in seattle.

[Ex-hippie]

Another comp for Ichiro, based on his ability to bunt for base hits, would be Brett Butler. His last good season was his age 37 season, when he went for .314/.411/.446 with the Dodgers. The next year, his age 38 season, he signed with the Mets and went .300/.377/.376. Actually he did better than that with the Mets, but was traded in mideason (back to the Dodgers) and really struggled down the stretch. Maybe he was unhappy to go back, who knows. After that, he was mostly injured at age 39, ineffective at age 40 and out of baseball at age 41. We might similarly see Ichiro struggle at the back end of his contract. But, hey, by then he'll be an "expiring deal"; at least we won't be staring at, say, five more years of Juan Pierre for $80 million.

EDIT: I guess I should point out, though, that the fact is Ichiro is not like any other player who has ever played the game, and it will be fun to see if he continues to break the mold. Just like Jamie Moyer.

[Basketball Jesus]

Butler

[b_roy7]

Anyone got a list of to-be FA this coming off-season?

[Ex-hippie]

Anyone got a list of to-be FA this coming off-season?

The most interesting players are the ones with opt-outs: A-Rod, Adam Dunn, and a couple of others.

As for the rest: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/s ... id=2925592

Not a particularly exciting crop. Jones is declining, Ichiro is obviously off the market, Hunter is going to want Ichiro/Carlos Lee money, Posada is going nowhere, Dye is declining, Lowell is just average; Cameron, Rowand and Byrnes are good but not spectacular.

[Ex-hippie]

By the way, I can't believe no one has said this, but...

If Rashard Lewis is worth $126 million, then Ichiro is worth $200 million.

[Bay_Areas_Finest]

That was quite a rant by Florida Marlins president David Samson, who enlivened the apparently imminent Ichiro Suzuki extension by calling it, "the end of the world as we know it," on Dan Le Batard's radio show yesterday.

Of course, Samson knows an apocalypse when he sees one, having stripped down the Marlins and canned the NL Manager of the Year in the middle of it, and every time you turn on a Marlins home game there's about 18 people in the crowd.

"It'll take the sport down, that contract," Samson vented. "Right back to the ridiculous contracts. It can't be."

In case he'd been too vague, Samson went on to call the contract "a joke" and "inexcusable," then accused the Seattle Mariners of "mismanagement."

Insiders put Ichiro's extension at about $18 million per over five years, so middle-of-the-order money for leadoff-hitter production, and for a speed player whose legs will be going on 39 when the contract is done.

Overpriced? Yeah, probably.

But, this wasn't entirely a baseball decision. Chairman Howard Lincoln and Executive VP/General Counsel Bart Waldman are said to have handled these negotiations, start to finish, with barely a word to the organization's baseball people. Clearly, upper management considers Ichiro

[Troy McClure]

It's not that his team is unable to keep stars, it's more like they don't want them.

[Sweezo]

Love how whoever wrote that article immediately proceeds to slam the Marlins GM in the second paragraph.

[Ex-hippie]

I suppose Mr. Samson would rather return to those halcyon days in the mid-80s when one team's front office could tell another team's front office what was good for it and what wasn't.

[BlackMamba]

its offcial!!! 5 years 90 million.

its really good news to know this, it really calms me down.

[b_roy7]

-= original quote snipped =-



The most interesting players are the ones with opt-outs: A-Rod, Adam Dunn, and a couple of others.

As for the rest: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/s ... id=2925592

Not a particularly exciting crop. Jones is declining, Ichiro is obviously off the market, Hunter is going to want Ichiro/Carlos Lee money, Posada is going nowhere, Dye is declining, Lowell is just average; Cameron, Rowand and Byrnes are good but not spectacular.

Thanks.

Anyone that shows interest, the Mariners' pretty much have that spot filled.
What holes does it seem they have?

[NateMustGo]

I've been one that has wanted Ichiro traded, but i'm willing to admit I'm wrong lets just let him play and retire an M. It would be great for the organization after the Johnson,Griffey and A-Rod fiasico's.