At 28 years old, he's the next top Japanese pitcher coming over. He's not as hyped as Tanaka or Darvish was but he should be a suitable MLB starter. He's a righty who doesn't throw with high velocity but he does have good control and a changeup and slider as his secondary pitches. I guess we'll see how he adjusts to the new workload and larger ball.
The terms are currently unknown but the deal could be 5-8 years with opt outs and significant incentives.
This puts an end to the possibility that the Dodgers will have an all-lefty rotation, which is good news for them, but they may limit his innings as he learns to adjust to pitching every 5th game instead of once a week like pitchers do in Japan.
At 28 years old, he's the next top Japanese pitcher coming over. He's not as hyped as Tanaka or Darvish was but he should be a suitable MLB starter. He's a righty who doesn't throw with high velocity but he does have good control and a changeup and slider as his secondary pitches. I guess we'll see how he adjusts to the new workload and larger ball.
The terms are currently unknown but the deal could be 5-8 years with opt outs and significant incentives.
This puts an end to the possibility that the Dodgers will have an all-lefty rotation, which is good news for them, but they may limit his innings as he learns to adjust to pitching every 5th game instead of once a week like pitchers do in Japan.
8 year deal for $25 million (only $3.125 million per season) but the contract has incentives that could possibly earn him an additional $10-12 million per season.
I really like these types of contracts. Most players get paid off of what they DID and not what they DO and Kenta gets paid more the better he does. Great deal for the Dodgers, imo.
8 year deal for $25 million (only $3.125 million per season) but the contract has incentives that could possibly earn him an additional $10-12 million per season.
I really like these types of contracts. Most players get paid off of what they DID and not what they DO and Kenta gets paid more the better he does. Great deal for the Dodgers, imo.
Sparky, just a thought here. That is quite a comedown from the Tanaka-Darvish realm and I wonder if MLB execs are not taking a much harder look at the international player market than they were a few years ago. If they are and it reflects in what the next batch of Cubans get, well maybe they are getting their heads back on straight. Thoughts?
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P.S. What are the dollars per year after they eat the posting fee?
Now and then even a BLIND squirrel can find an acorn
Sparky, just a thought here. That is quite a comedown from the Tanaka-Darvish realm and I wonder if MLB execs are not taking a much harder look at the international player market than they were a few years ago. If they are and it reflects in what the next batch of Cubans get, well maybe they are getting their heads back on straight. Thoughts?
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P.S. What are the dollars per year after they eat the posting fee?
Well, first off is that he's not as highly touted as the others and his ceiling isn't expected to be a #1 MLB starter. And now I'm hearing that there is concern over his elbow which is why this is such an incentive based contract. And Japanese pitchers are much harder to read because of the adjustments with the once a week schedule and smaller ball. You may get Darvish or you may get Dice-K. Or, if you're lucky, you'll get Kuroda who won't blow you away but will be one of the most underrated pitchers in the game. Tanaka has show elbow problems and relatively early in his contract and if Kenta has potential elbow problems, then it's fair to have this type of deal.
The Cuban players are newer to the game so I think they're still trying to get a read on them. Everyone wants a Chapman and Jose Abreu but Puig has been hit or miss and we haven't seen enough from Rusney Castillo, Yasmany Tomas or Hector Olivera. When Puig was hot, it seemed like you couldn't go wrong with a Cuban player and now it's not so clear cut. I think it's still a feeling out process for international players but it's difficult to project them in MLB because the leagues and competition is so different and you need to hope you see enough from the World Baseball Classic to make decisions.
But teams are putting a LOT more into international scouting because of the potential steals like the Pirates with Kang (albeit 1 year) and Orioles with Wei-Yin Chen and the Mariners with Iwakuma.
As for the posting fee...everything you read is after the posting fee. The $20 million is given to his former team and off the books.
Well, first off is that he's not as highly touted as the others and his ceiling isn't expected to be a #1 MLB starter. And now I'm hearing that there is concern over his elbow which is why this is such an incentive based contract. And Japanese pitchers are much harder to read because of the adjustments with the once a week schedule and smaller ball. You may get Darvish or you may get Dice-K. Or, if you're lucky, you'll get Kuroda who won't blow you away but will be one of the most underrated pitchers in the game. Tanaka has show elbow problems and relatively early in his contract and if Kenta has potential elbow problems, then it's fair to have this type of deal.
The Cuban players are newer to the game so I think they're still trying to get a read on them. Everyone wants a Chapman and Jose Abreu but Puig has been hit or miss and we haven't seen enough from Rusney Castillo, Yasmany Tomas or Hector Olivera. When Puig was hot, it seemed like you couldn't go wrong with a Cuban player and now it's not so clear cut. I think it's still a feeling out process for international players but it's difficult to project them in MLB because the leagues and competition is so different and you need to hope you see enough from the World Baseball Classic to make decisions.
But teams are putting a LOT more into international scouting because of the potential steals like the Pirates with Kang (albeit 1 year) and Orioles with Wei-Yin Chen and the Mariners with Iwakuma.
As for the posting fee...everything you read is after the posting fee. The $20 million is given to his former team and off the books.
I understand the posting fee is off the books, but it is still part of the overall cost of employing the pitcher. That money is GONE, period. It has to be considered as part of the expense no matter what they ever get out of him. Thanx for the opinion, and I agree on the Cubans, they are still under judgment and the jury has not come back yet.
Now and then even a BLIND squirrel can find an acorn
I understand the posting fee is off the books, but it is still part of the overall cost of employing the pitcher. That money is GONE, period. It has to be considered as part of the expense no matter what they ever get out of him. Thanx for the opinion, and I agree on the Cubans, they are still under judgment and the jury has not come back yet.
The Koreans are starting to make their mark as well. Shin Soo-Choo and Jung Ho Kang have paved the way. Curious to know who the new Baltimore Orioles outfield signing Hyun Soo-Kim will favor.
The Koreans are starting to make their mark as well. Shin Soo-Choo and Jung Ho Kang have paved the way. Curious to know who the new Baltimore Orioles outfield signing Hyun Soo-Kim will favor.
Well, it is the Dodgers so money isn't anything to them and it doesn't go towards the payroll so it's even less of a deal because it isn't luxury taxed.
But I like the new structure of the posting system. It really screws the Japanese teams because of how much they lose if teams were to do the mystery bidding but it gives all the MLB teams a chance to negotiate.
Well, it is the Dodgers so money isn't anything to them and it doesn't go towards the payroll so it's even less of a deal because it isn't luxury taxed.
But I like the new structure of the posting system. It really screws the Japanese teams because of how much they lose if teams were to do the mystery bidding but it gives all the MLB teams a chance to negotiate.
Friedman knows how to build. They may not have won yet but they haven't had to give up Seager, Urias or De Leon in any trade they've made.
I don't quite understand the deal with the Reds yet with him giving up Peraza but I'll let things pan out before I decide if he's done a good job or not. He also gave up Oliveria to get Peraza so, again, we'll see how it turns out.
Friedman knows how to build. They may not have won yet but they haven't had to give up Seager, Urias or De Leon in any trade they've made.
I don't quite understand the deal with the Reds yet with him giving up Peraza but I'll let things pan out before I decide if he's done a good job or not. He also gave up Oliveria to get Peraza so, again, we'll see how it turns out.
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