I’m slammed today, so projections will have to wait. In the mean time…
- Mariners decide not to bid on Matsuzaka
Seattle Post Intelligencer: Matsuzaka too pricey for M’s
The Mariners, considered by some to be the favorites for the Daisukster, decided not to bid on him when he is posted. This will come as a surprise to lots of folks – the M’s obviously have had a lot of success with previous imports Ichiro! and Kenji Johjima, so it only made sense that they’d try to go to the well again. What does this mean? A (slightly) lower winning bid, perhaps, and a lot of disappointed fans in Seattle.
- Hiroki Kuroda Not Coming Over (Maybe)
MLB Trade Rumors: Hiroki Kuroda to Stay in Japan?
So the impetus for this story is an article on Yahoo! Japan; I don’t read Japanese, so I’ll have to take the MLB Trade Rumors folks at their word. The Hanshin Tigers are making a pitch for Kuroda. However, if Kuroda signs with Hanshin, that probably makes Kei Igawa more likely to be posted. See below.
- Tigers Considering Options on Igawa
JapanBall.com: Hanshin relenting on Igawa’s major league hopes
Igawa wants to come over and has for years; he’s a bit of a showman, apparently, and wants to show what he can do in MLB. If Hanshin wants Kuroda, the posting fee they earn from Igawa would pay for a bunch of free agents. Stay tuned.
