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Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Hisashi Iwakuma hires new agent

Hisashi Iwakuma, one of the top starting pitchers in Japan, has hired a new agent as a prelude to coming to Major League Baseball as a free agent in 2012.

Iwakuma, a star right-hander for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, is expected to rank among the elite starters in a free-agent market that could include CC Sabathia, C.J. Wilson, Mark Buehrle, Japanese countryman Hiroki Kuroda of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Yu Darvish of Japan’s Nippon Ham Fighters. Sabathia can become a free agent if he exercises an opt-out clause in his seven-year, $161 million contract with the New York Yankees this winter.

Gamingboy Posted: August 02, 2011 at 05:50 PM | 10 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: japan

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1. PreservedFish Posted: August 02, 2011 at 08:11 PM (#3891315)

Yu Darvish? That's big news, right?

2. Never Give an Inge (Dave) Posted: August 02, 2011 at 08:22 PM (#3891323)

What's the scouting report on Darvish? I saw him pitch in Japan a few years ago and he looked very good. Would love to see a legitimate Japanese ace come over here in their prime.

3. Paul D(uda) Posted: August 02, 2011 at 08:28 PM (#3891327)

Anyone have any guesses where Iwakuma, Darvish and Sabathia end up?

4. SG Posted: August 02, 2011 at 08:54 PM (#3891337)

Wouldn't Darvish have to be posted? He wouldn't really be a free agent in that sense, would he?

5. The Mohole* of David Wells (* - Piehole)

Posted: August 02, 2011 at 09:14 PM (#3891355)

Anyone have any guesses where Iwakuma, Darvish and Sabathia end up?

Dodgers, Yankees, Yankees. There isn't a chance in hell that Sabathia doesn't pitch for the Yankees for the rest of his natural life, or at least as long as he's playing baseball and doesn't completely suck.

6. Gamingboy Posted: August 02, 2011 at 09:23 PM (#3891359)

And Darvish has repeatedly flip-flopped as to whether he wanted to come to the USA anyway. He won't be a free agent, but some have speculated that he will be posted, especially since a lot of Japanese ball teams have been in even worse financial straits than usual after the disaster earlier this year. That said, if he does go to the USA, I'd expect one of the usual suspects.

Iwakuma was part of a posting war between Oakland (who won his posting rights but didn't get him to sign) and Minnesota during last offseason. Don't see Oakland really making a run for him, but wouldn't be too shocked if Minnesota makes another run at him, especially since Iwakuma is the type of tricky low-90s control pitcher that Gardenhire seems to love.

Sabathia will end up back with the Yankees, if he opts out to begin with. It's a salary play.

7. Der Komminsk-sar Posted: August 02, 2011 at 09:29 PM (#3891365)

Iwakuma was part of a posting war between Oakland (who won his posting rights but didn't get him to sign)
This was Oakland's fault, imo.

8. Joe Kehoskie Posted: August 02, 2011 at 11:24 PM (#3891419)

I thought people were overly bullish on Iwakuma last year. He's a rail-thin RHP who doesn't have overpowering stuff and will be pitching on less rest in MLB. At his age and after the typical NPB workload, there are red flags galore.

9. Babe Adams Posted: August 03, 2011 at 05:09 PM (#3891824)

Apologies for pulling slightly OT, but can someone remind why NPB doesn't have a package to stream its games internationally? I'd love to see Darvish (heck, I'd enjoy seeing Bullington).

10. BourbonSamurai, vassal of the Harpsburg Empire Posted: August 03, 2011 at 05:54 PM (#3891884)

Apologies for pulling slightly OT, but can someone remind why NPB doesn't have a package to stream its games internationally? I'd love to see Darvish (heck, I'd enjoy seeing Bullington).

Agreed, this would be great. You'd think mlbnetwork could use the content.

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Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Hisashi Iwakuma hires new agent

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