Comments on: No, Hisashi Iwakuma did not want “Barry Zito money”

By: Rosenthals Speling Instrukter

Rosenthals Speling Instrukter — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:03:28 +0000

I have to disagree with this sentence: “Unlike the A’s, Nomura doesn’t have a fan base he needs to placate with public relations.”

I don’t believe the A’s have a fan base to placate either.

By: tomemos

tomemos — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:47:31 +0000

I said this in the other thread, but I really think that the A’s might have posted with the thought that they could keep other AL teams from getting Iwakuma one way or the other. At the very least, they had nothing to lose. Of course, someone asked why they didn’t do that with Matsuzaka, and I don’t have an answer for that.

By: apbaguy

apbaguy — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:39:11 +0000

It did get a low-profile mention (in the “notes” section) of the SF Chron’s A’s beat reporter’s column. She, like everyone else out here, realized there was zero chance of Beltre taking the offer.

By: thinman61

thinman61 — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:24:58 +0000

It’s interesting that Oakland’s supposed offer to Beltre has received zero traction in the US press. Everything about it ultimately comes back to the same Latin American source.

By: apbaguy

apbaguy — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:44:16 +0000

The posting fee was set up by the Japanese league owners to transfer money directly to the teams. It’s an auction format. I’m not sure how much the team owner of a posted player has to share with the rest of the league, though.

As for Nomura’s claim that the A’s bid on Beltre was purely PR: congrats, you’ve correctly read the tea-leaves. Look, free agents with anything left in the tank don’t want to come to Oakland. Even Justin Upton, with only a 4 team no-trade, included Oakland in that select group. Why, you ask? Since 2006, when Beane pulled the plug on a 1st place team, many players who actually want to win have sensed a lack of commitment to winning. Throw in the style of play (not aggressive), the terrible dressing room and confined facilities, and cheap, Angelos type owners (profit before winning), and it’s a perfect storm for Nomura and other agents to back out on any chance for their guy to play there. Even Scutaro turned down more years and total dollars to play in Boston over Oakland. Nomura would have been wiser to keep a lower profile, however. He’ll have to negotiate with somebody else next year, and that somebody isn’t going to be anxious to have his dealings splashed all over the internet.

By: BC

BC — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:40:09 +0000

They just trying to protect themselves against being totally raided.

By: Alex K

Alex K — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:01:54 +0000

I’m pretty sure the posting is refunded if the team doesn’t sign the player to a contract.

By: okobojicat

okobojicat — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 15:50:26 +0000

Its always been refundable.

The better question we need to ask is why don’t the A’s have the rights to sell their right to negotiate? Why can’t they turn to the Pirates and say “for $5mill and prospect X you can negotiate with his agent” and then at the point when he signed, the A’s could get what they want.

Also, the entire posting scheme is just silly. There isn’t posting for Indepedent Ball players. or Mexican League. I understand that the Japanese league is a lot more competitive with better talent but the restrictions of how a player gets to the US is silly.

By: BC

BC — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 15:37:29 +0000

It’s refundable? When did that start? I thought most of the Dice-K hubbub was that the $40mil (or whatever it was) that Boston put up was a one-time, nonrefundable fee. I must have missed the memo. Or is it done case by case?