Surprised Marcum couldn't get more than a 1 year deal even with an injury, and could only sign with the Mets. Was the market that dry for him? I'd love him in KC over Ervin Santana and his $12 million contract.

I'd love to see how Tony Plush plays in Japan. I bet he becomes a big time fan favorite.

Nyjer Morgan seems like he has the perfect skillset to play in Japan. In that his major-league performance made you think "He's great to watch, but there's something missing that I thought I was promised. Oh right, that thing is any semblance of power."

Marcum may have felt it was a better strategy to sign a one year deal this winter and then hope for a 3-4 year deal next year rather than sign a 2 year deal this winter.

I think he's a great signing though. I really wanted the Red Sox to be in on him.

I'm surprised nobody in the US wanted Nyjer as a backup CF. He didn't hit much last year, but he can still go get 'em.

Marcum is a fun pitcher to watch. He doesn't have great stuff, but he has very good location, and enough pitches to keep hitters off balance. He'll be a good fit for the Mets.

I'm surprised nobody in the US wanted Nyjer as a backup CF. He didn't hit much last year, but he can still go get 'em.

I'd imagine he got multiple offers on the order of minor league deals worth six figures if he makes the team or low-six figure incentive-laden contracts - nothing in the neighborhood of $1.6MM.

Nyjer is a bit of a loose cannon and it doesn't seem to take much to set him off. Maybe his reputation is catching up to him in the States. I'm not sure how that will go over in Japan, but I suspect it will wear thin on them pretty quickly. They'll probably write him off as just another Gaijin who's not worth their time and attention.

Nyjer is a bit of a loose cannon and it doesn't seem to take much to set him off. Maybe his reputation is catching up to him in the States. I'm not sure how that will go over in Japan, but I suspect it will wear thin on them pretty quickly. They'll probably write him off as just another Gaijin who's not worth their time and attention.

I have no idea what kind of scouting Japanese teams do on the Americans they sign, but even some perfunctory background on Morgan would tell about his various (mis)adventures. They must know what they're getting into.

FWIW, he was actually very well-behaved last year. Maybe he's finally growing up?

Yokohama is a pretty bad team and not very popular so they might enjoy Morgan's shenanigans for a while.

Yokohama Stadium is a nice little park to watch a game at. It's easy to get to and there really aren't any bad seats. It's like going to a tiny, single deck version of Three Rivers/Veterans/Riverfront/Busch.

It's just 387 feet to dead center.