We're going to find out soon who won the Kei Igawa bidding. According to a Kyodo News report -- that's a AP-like wire service in Japan -- the Hanshin Tigers have accepted the bid and plan to announce the winner later today. The Mets, Yankees and Mariners are believed to be among the bidders for the 27-year-old lefthander.
While Igawa certainly represents a cheaper alternative in this crazy free agent market, keep in mind he may not be too good. Here's David Lennon's story that ran in Newsday when Igawa pitched against the MLB team of All-Stars earlier this month.
Judge for yourself here:
Comments (39)
He looked very average to me everytime i've seen him. I watched him pitch in the wbc, japan series, and just now. He throws alot of pitches and is not gonna get away with that low 90's fastball and weak changeup that he can't throw over for a strike vs big leauge hitters. He could be a four or a five at best, and considering we have two healthy starters and are thinking about putting scott Proctor in the rotation It might not be a bad move. Honestly if we win the bidding I am not going to get to happy, and if we lose not to upset. I would rather have a guy like Lilly who has a 3.81 career era vs the sox and u know even though will probaly lose as many as he wins as are third or fourth starter , and wait for hughes to come up July 1st????????
Not too bad an inning although he was saved by a good play at 3B and threw a lot of pitches. How healthy is his arm? Is he going to be another 5-6 inning and done guy? He's not an ace but he might be a good back-of-the-rotation guy which will help keep Proctor in the pen were he belongs. His breaking pitch wasn’t that bad, it looked pretty deceptive to me. He handled the right-handers better than the lefty. His fastball is not fast enough to pitch inside to the lefty so the hitter just went the other way with the pitch.
If they win this bid they should still go after Lilly. It sounds like Lilly is their plan B but I think he should be priority. Cashman keeps saying that with the amount of money they have invested in Pavano he has to be in their plans, same for Johnson. Hopefully Pavano has a great spring training, which will up his value for a trade.
With or without this guy there are still so many unanswered questions in the rotation.
Too bad the Yankees missed out on Zaun. Maybe Nieves will get a shot? If Barajas failed his physical wouldn’t that stop him everywhere he goes? Doesn’t every team require a physical?
This is good move by The Yankees if they win The bids for him. It will not cost the Yankees draft picks. I hope the Yankees do win.
Sorry for all the comments today but nothing going on. I can view his first innings at Fenway. The Red Sox's have their pattened righty lineup. The baseball rocketing off the Green Monster will shake the mortar of the entire stadium. The vendors behind the Green Monster will need extra insurance for bodily injury.
Hey, I'm making light of the situation but he's a professional who'll border on mediocrity in the AL. This was not major league talent hitting against him. His fastball had no one asking for "no mas." He pitched up in the zone. This is not good. I hope our bid was not the winner. I prefer Sean Henn, instead. There is not much out there. We must face it this year maybe a year of rebuilding the rotation and Mr. Pavano as laughable as this may sound. We could be cheering for this guy come April as number 4 starter. I say get Lilly and fast if its crazy stupid money than go young and hope for a great hitting season. I'll still enjoy the games. Everybody has mediocre pitching for the most part but the Yanks have the sticks that most teams can't match.
He led in strikeouts in 2002 and 2004. He will be #3 starter here like Wang.
Wang was unknown back then and had average stuff. Dbacks scout wasn't impressed by Wang back then. The Yankees didn't include Wang in a deal for Randy., Don't judge this guy yet, Igawa hasn't thrown a single pitch in the majors.
Si.com's Jon Heyman is reporting that Hashin has aceepted the winning bid of 25 million for Kei Igawa, do you think the yanks would bid that high. I have a gut feeling the mets won the bidding I don't know???? We only bid 32 million for Matsuzaka, I don't think the yanks would bid only 7 million less for this guy??
please, gee I don't know. I hope the Yankees win. It will not cost the Yankees draft picks and have wait for Hughes and Clippard to developed .
"Also John Heyman reported that the Yanks inquired about Schmidt and he didn't want to move to NY. "
One has to wonder how the NYY fans/media treatment of A-Rod has affected other players and their desire to play in NYC.
Hughes will be in the rotation by July, he hasn't pitched more then 116 innings in a minor leauge season. Clippard, and Humberto Sanchez are probaly a good year or so away. Chamberlain, ian kennedy, and Steven White are two years away at best. I wouldn't mind having this guy to be a fourth or fifth starter, but if your going to bid 25 mil. and then another 15 to sign him That's 40 million for a projected fourth or fifth stater in the American leauge. I think the yanks will end up with Lilly at 36 mil. for 4 years I just don't think if the report is true they bid that high for Igawa.
I Guess We Did Not Win The Igawa Bid, $25 mil wins bid: SI
According to SI.com, the winning bid for Japanese left-hander Kei Igawa was for about $25 million.
Incredible. Igawa's stuff has drawn mixed reviews, and while he might be well ahead of MLB hitters in his first season in the U.S., it seems unlikely that he'll settle in as more than a third or fourth starter. If it costs a total of $40 million to bring him in for three years, we have a new candidate for the biggest bust of the winter. It's expected that we'll know tonight who won the bidding for Igawa
per rotoworld
I do not think Cashman would spend that kind of money on a guy like that, so it is safe to say any FA pitcer we sign this offseason will be named Lilly, Pettite, Zito, or Meche.
My guess is an nl team . the mets or padres and cubs.
I guess Baseball Players were afraid to come to Ny after The debacle that took place with Ny Fans booing Arod. The feud between Jeter and Arod.
First, It was Helms, Schmidt and now Igawa.
Cashman should be fired or resigned for being overly patient and reducing payroll. This is Ny , and not The time to rebuild.
The a-rod, Jeter feud has nothing to do with Igawa not coming to NY. He doesn't have a choice were he goes if you win the bid you win his rights for 30 days if you don't sign him he goes back to Japan.
Add to Zaun, Speier,Baez , and Walker to the list that Cashman miss this offseason
"Cashman should be fired or resigned for being overly patient and reducing payroll. This is Ny , and not The time to rebuild." - Malik
Are you serious? We have tried buying teams the past 10 years and it has not worked out. To much money, to many ego's, and to many old past prime players. What Cashman has done the past few years has been great. Our farm system is now in great shape and we have young players such as Wang, Melky, and Cano along with a bunch of highly regarded prospects.
Now that Cashman has more control and The Boss is laying low I feel much better about these next few years.
Cash is doing great. he must take the long view and build with young talented players for the future. he should do the opposite of what the yanks usually do.
I don't think the Yanks would have paid $25M for this guy. Nobody was that impressed with him. This has Mets written all over it which is weird since this guy isn't Latino so he won't fit in with the NY Metropolatino's team that Omar is building.
I think the Yanks have finally had it with being burned by mediocre talent at high prices for long term deals. I posted in another section earlier that Adam Eaton getting $24M from the Phillies is probably really bad news for the Yanks as they will not pay Ted Lilly any more than that and he will (rightfully) expect it because he's a better pitcher than Eaton and he doesn't get hurt like Eaton.
The Phillies have set the bar just like the Mets did a couple years ago with the Kris Benson contract and now all the other teams will have to come up with big bucks for less than stellar pitching. The Yanks got played by Pavano and Wright and I just don't see them making this mistake again, unless it's Andy Pettitte, whom they still like very much (if he pitches and wants to come back to NY-highly unlikely).
The only pitching moves I see them making are promoting from within or a blockbuster trade for an established starter. We don't need Gil Meche or someone like him for 4 yrs/$30M or something like that.
Orioles Plans To Add Bradford, Williamson To Bullpen
The Baltimore Orioles, aggressively making over their bullpen this offseason, are expected to sign right-hander Scott Williamson -- the fourth veteran the team has targeted for its middle relief this offseason.
Bradford - three-year contract from the Orioles
Williamson will receive a one-year deal worth $900,000, plus incentives.
The Orioles have already signed left-hander Jamie Walker and right-hander Danys Baez, and have an agreement in place with right-hander Chad Bradford.
The Baltimore Sun, citing a source, reported that Bradford, who pitched for the Mets last season, was close to accepting a three-year contract from the Orioles.
And now sources say the Orioles will sign Williamson, 30, who has pitched in 328 games in his career, with 55 saves and a 3.32 ERA.
Baltimore entered the offseason eager to rework a bullpen that was 19-25 with a 5.25 ERA and 35 saves in 56 opportunities this year.
Buster Olney is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Ok, What the heck are the Orioles doing? building a super and unbeatable bullpen ?
The Orioles are close to retaining free-agent first baseman Kevin Millar.
Millar was looking for a two-year deal elsewhere. Hopefully, the Orioles aren't giving him more than one year. Although Millar did perform well in the second half of last season, he's a weak option as a regular first baseman. The Orioles should remain on the lookout for a left-handed hitter to platoon with him.
Yankees have now their attention to Hillenbrand or trade for Wiggintion. Let Andy play until Eric Duncan ready .
No one cares about the orioles....they can have the best bullpen in MLB and they will not make the playoffs.
They have so many issues with Starting pitching and Offense that they should be looking for another Bat. They didnt have one guy who hit over 24 home runs. Only Tejada hit over 300 and the only one to get 100 RBI's.
I care what Orioles does this offseason because they are in the same division with Redsox, Orioles, Bluejays who are also competing with Yankees playoff spot.
Getting back on the YANKEES track for a moment here.
Tom Verducci of SI.Com makes some good points as th why Phil Hughes will not be in the Yanks rotation until at least the second half of next season. As we all know, the Yanks have managed Hughes' innings pitched very carefully and won't throw him into the fire next year and expect 200 innings out of him. In the same article, Verducci points out that Wang may have a down type of year as his innings pitched increased dramatically last season. I think anything other than a 17+ win year from Wang would be a complete disaster for the Yanks. We are counting on him quite a bit.
The Orioles have 0% chance of getting to the playoffs next year. There is nothing they will be able to do this offseason to change that.
They have THE worst starting pitching in MLB and their offense sucks besides Tejada and their new young star Markakis.
So there will not be much "competing" for a playoff spot with the Orioles.
Yanks bullpen is solid. We just need starters to go deeper into the game on a more consistent basis.
Send A Letter To Selig
If the Red Sox are renegotiating the posting fee, I feel they have violated the integrity of the system. It was a blind, binding bid. Once accepted, it should not be renogitiated. Mind you, I'm not worried about the player at this point. I really dont think he's going to make THAT much difference. HOWEVER, teams that bid in good faith got blown out of the water by the Red Sox bid. The Sox KNEW it would take 100M to sign him when they bid 51M. Obviously, they had no intention of signing him for that much, and probably intended to pull this crap all along. I dont usually get involved in this kind of rhetoric. And again, I dont care if they get him or not. But this is clearly fraudulent. And if the Lions agree, they are just as guilty as the Sox. Here is the letter I just wrote. Write one of your own.
Dear Commissioner:
I am hearing rumors that the Red Sox have negotiated a deal to lower the posting fee for the right to negotiate with Matsuzuki. If this is true, it is a travesty that must be addressed. The outrageous bid by the Sox was bad enough. But it clearly was not offered in good faith, nor was it accepted in good faith, if it is reduced after the fact. The Sox KNEW what he wanted for a contract. They blocked other teams from a legitimate bid, all the time knowing they would pull something like this. Please understand, I dont care WHO gets him. But if teams are to follow the posting rules, they should follow them all the way. To allow the fee to change is patently unfair to all other teams who bid.
Please give this matter your closest scrutiny. The commissioner has the right to overturn the transaction if it is determined to be fraudulent. The posting system is the result of a basic working agreement between MLB and Japan
I don't know what happen to my comment about Igawa but in the nutshell. I believe he will be hit hard and often by the better hitting clubs. Also, he pitches up in the zone not a good thing with major leaguers.
I'm not concerned about the other teams getting this one or that one. No one matches up with us in total position by position. We have the top 3 or 4 at every spot in my opinion.
We must concentrate on pitching. Unfortunately, its a weak market and before we trade our crown jewels we must look at the big picture which I'm sure BC is doing and will make some moves especially in this area.
Patience is a virture which most of us do not have but the FA offerings are better left mostly alone except Lilly and Meche (sleeper).
Sorry, not 1ST base as of now. See my comment of 4:31, 11/28.
1) ironically, the criticism of cashman was spot on, until this off-season. for some he has been able to get away with such travasties as the pavano signing and several absurd trades (contreras for loaiza??? weaver for kevin brown???), and still enjoys an impeccable reputation although he's a mediocre at best evaluator of talent. however, the patience displayed in front of this year's weak FA market is impressive and justified.
2) the more i think about it the more it seems obvious that the yanks should sign zito. yes, he'll post a plus 4.00 era, but he'll eat tons of inninngs, go deep and win at least 15. in a market where adam eaton!! gets 8 mil, lilly & meche get 10+, we can live with 14-15 for him.
Left-hander Hideki Okajima said Saturday he has received offers from major league teams and is leaning toward accepting one of them.
Okajima, 30, has been a reliever lately after spending time early in his career as a starter. He had a 2.14 ERA and a 63/14 K/BB ratio in 54 2/3 innings last season and a 4.75 ERA with a 56/19 K/BB ratio in 53 innings in 2005. He might be a pretty good lefty specialist or a little something more in the majors. The Red Sox, White Sox, Tigers, Indians and Phillies are some of the teams looking for a left-handed reliever
source -rotoworld
Buster Olney and 1050 espn radio of ny That Redsox are Also in negotiations a former teammate of Hideki Matsui.
I wonder why Rotoworld forgot to mentioned being the Yankees are interested signing him?
Cashman is doing exactly what we need him to do. Not sign mediocre players to superstar contracts. I don't see how the O's are any better with the guys they brought in. Plus they just added Jaret Wright to there rotation nuff said on them. There is nobody on the free agent market the Yanks should jump on. It will be interesting to see if we trade for some solid major league talent. I am just glad for once to see other teams than the Yanks grossly overpay for mediocre players.
Left-hander Hideki Okajima said Saturday he has received offers from major league teams and is leaning toward accepting one of them.
Okajima, 30, has been a reliever lately after spending time early in his career as a starter. He had a 2.14 ERA and a 63/14 K/BB ratio in 54 2/3 innings last season and a 4.75 ERA with a 56/19 K/BB ratio in 53 innings in 2005. He might be a pretty good lefty specialist or a little something more in the majors. The Red Sox, White Sox, Tigers, Indians and Phillies are some of the teams looking for a left-handed reliever source -rotoworld
I was listening to 1050 espnradio and Buster Olney That Redsox are in negotiations with Okajima and a former teammate of Hideki Matsui. I wonder why Rotoworld forgot to mentioned being the Yankees are interested signing him?
Yanks win bid for Igawa for 25M
reported on Yesnetwork and Wfan..
He led K's in 2002 and 2004
He has between 88-92 mph and good changeup
- I think it's good Move by the Yankees - It will not cost yankees losing draft picks
He could be # 5 starter behind proctor and wait Hughes and Sanchez are ready.
1)wang
2)Mussina
3)Rj - out until May
4)Proctor/pavano
5)Igawa
The yes network is reporting the yankees have won the bidding for japanese lefty Kei Igawa!!!!!!
Unbelievable Statement By Francesa, Concerning Matsuzaka and the Money
Francesssa stated clear as a bell that the Lions could take part of the money from the 51M bid by the Red Sox and give it back to the Sox to assist them to pay Matsuka. There is no link, but that is what he said. Incredible if true.
I did hear a reporter from the Boston (Herald or Globe that Boston was indeed negotiating the posting bid to free up some of that money to enhance Matsuzaka's contract. He said they were talking about lowering the posting fee to around $40 million (which would still beat all the other bids).
Now, that just stinks. They kept talking about how the rules with Japan are evolving and each time a new player is posted, the re-evaluate the rules. Huh? Rules are rules. If you bid a posting fee of $51.1 million, I'm sorry, that's what you pay! Otherwise, the bids are not in good faith, sorry.
I do not expect the commissioner or anyone else to do anything about it.
OK, now we have the #5 hole covered. We also have Wang and Mussina. Johnson might be back or could be filled in for by one of the kids. But, we still need another PROVEN SP. I say get Lilly. Then next year after RJ is gone, we will still have two LH in the rotation - Lilly and Igawa to go with Wang, Mussina and Hughes.
14-9 2.97 era 194 k's in the central leauge for the Hashin Tiger's. Fastest Japanese pitcher to 1000's strikeouts.
Wang,mussina,pavano,igawa,johnson/proctor to start the year. Maybe they still make a run at Lilly????
If, I had a shot at getting Ty Wiggington from the DRays in a trade to play 1st base. I'd say go for it. He can play 1st and third and can hit. He hits Yankee pitching quite well. Plus he played in NY and knows the turf. Drays usually ask the world but we do have some chips now.If, we are willing to pay Igawa 46-50 milllion over the next 3 years in total bid and salary. Why not pay Lilly. Can someone put a slant on this for me because if the reports are true Igawa is a Yankee.
Pitchers with borderline careers or recent bad years is not going to want to come t o a team who has a suspect Pitching coach, and fan base that DESTROYS the ego of a MARQUEE player in A_rod , yes the beef with arod probally is spreading across baseball that the yankees and their Fans is two faced, yes we probally dug our selves a grave here.
To A_rod even though I love your play of the game on behalf of the fans
WE,RE SORRY!