Matsuzaka: Red Sox Win w/ $51.1M Bid

[VanceJergins]

typical cubs move. Don't go for the guy that can have the biggest impact go for the one that is the cheapest, and consequently less effective. Sounds alot like burnitz instead of Beltran in 05.

 

If we sign another cheaper guy from Japan to be our 4 or 5 pitcher, doesnt mean we wont go after someone like Zito or Schmidt too. And Kuroda probably has a better chance of having a great year than any other 4 or 5 starter we could sign. And over $20 million just for the rights to negotiate with Matsuzaka seems pretty steep. I think the Cubs would be doing the right thing in not going crazy in that bid as long as they sign another top starter.

[KingCubsFan]

typical cubs move. Don't go for the guy that can have the biggest impact go for the one that is the cheapest, and consequently less effective. Sounds alot like burnitz instead of Beltran in 05.

 

Exactly.

 

Typical garbage from them.

In all fairness, it wouldn't be very smart to spend 17-20 million per year on him when we have so many other holes to fill. Unless the posting fee doesn't count towards the payroll budget, it wouldn't make a lot of sense. What the Cubs should do is try and get Kuroda as quickly as possible, while at the same time get Schmidt/maybe Zito locked up as quickly as possible while other teams are focusing on Matsazuka. But multi-tasking doesn't seem to be Hendry's best quality.

[VanceJergins]

typical cubs move. Don't go for the guy that can have the biggest impact go for the one that is the cheapest, and consequently less effective. Sounds alot like burnitz instead of Beltran in 05.

 

Exactly.

 

Typical garbage from them.

In all fairness, it wouldn't be very smart to spend 17-20 million per year on him when we have so many other holes to fill. Unless the posting fee doesn't count towards the payroll budget, it wouldn't make a lot of sense. What the Cubs should do is try and get Kuroda as quickly as possible, while at the same time get Schmidt/maybe Zito locked up as quickly as possible while other teams are focusing on Matsazuka. But multi-tasking doesn't seem to be Hendry's best quality.

 

Thats what I would hope for, except I doubt Schmidt and Zito sign before Matsuzaka is off the market so they can get teams in a bidding war for them.

[Mephistopheles]

The bidding for Matsuzaka is only four days long. He'll be posted soon after the Nov 1 date where teams are first allowed to post players. Seibu wants to use the Matsuzaka money to buy Kuroda so they certainly won't waste any time posting him.

 

http://www.ttahara.com/carp/photo/pitcher/hkuroda/021012_DSC_0272_m.jpg

 

and someone please tell me Kuroda isnt pitching with his eyes closed.

[Soriano12]

typical cubs move. Don't go for the guy that can have the biggest impact go for the one that is the cheapest, and consequently less effective. Sounds alot like burnitz instead of Beltran in 05.

 

Exactly.

 

Typical garbage from them.

In all fairness, it wouldn't be very smart to spend 17-20 million per year on him when we have so many other holes to fill. Unless the posting fee doesn't count towards the payroll budget, it wouldn't make a lot of sense. What the Cubs should do is try and get Kuroda as quickly as possible, while at the same time get Schmidt/maybe Zito locked up as quickly as possible while other teams are focusing on Matsazuka. But multi-tasking doesn't seem to be Hendry's best quality.

 

I'd rather have a Diasuke/Padilla combo vs a Kuroda/Zito-Schmidt combo.

[snoodmonger]

Bad news, Matsuzaka fans. :cry:

 

Daisuke Matsuzaka, the 26-year-old right-hander represented by agent Scott Boras, may not be their first choice, sources said. The Cubs will make a blind bid just for the rights to sign Matsuzaka, but they apparently are more intrigued by free agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda of Hiroshima. The 31-year-old Kuroda could be targeted as a No. 3 or 4 pitcher in the Cubs rotation, after going 13-6 in 26 games last year. He's 91-81 lifetime in Japan with a 3.70 ERA.

 

link

 

 

A half-assed bid isn't going to get us Matsuzaka. Super. Give me that #4 starter, baby! Whoohoo!!

 

I don't understand how it's possible to be "more intrigued" by a much worse player. Nobody's fooled by that wording. The Cubs are going cheap. And old. Again.

[USSoccer]

Bad news, Matsuzaka fans. :cry:

 

Daisuke Matsuzaka, the 26-year-old right-hander represented by agent Scott Boras, may not be their first choice, sources said. The Cubs will make a blind bid just for the rights to sign Matsuzaka, but they apparently are more intrigued by free agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda of Hiroshima. The 31-year-old Kuroda could be targeted as a No. 3 or 4 pitcher in the Cubs rotation, after going 13-6 in 26 games last year. He's 91-81 lifetime in Japan with a 3.70 ERA.

 

link

 

 

A half-assed bid isn't going to get us Matsuzaka. Super. Give me that #4 starter, baby! Whoohoo!!

 

I don't understand how it's possible to be "more intrigued" by a much worse player. Nobody's fooled by that wording. The Cubs are going cheap. And old. Again.

 

 

Just, wow.

[b_wiggy_66]

Kuroda should not be more "intriguing" than Matsusaka. Beside him their is no really good pitching on the FA market. Zito walks way to many guys and that mixed with his high fly ball numbers make a bad combo at Wrigley. Schmidt is good, but he is already into his 30's and he has a history of injuries as well. Therefore, you have to go after Matsusaka hard and get him so someone can be there behind big Z.

[Outshined_One]

I'll start out by saying that I really would love it if the Cubs made a hard run at Matsuzaka. He's got everything a pitcher needs to succeed in MLB, plus he would immediately shore up this team's need for a #1/#2 starter. There are some legitimate questions about him (workload), but he seems like a very good pickup, by all accounts.

 

But holy crap, this blind bidding process is borderline insane. Scott Boras is already going to get top dollar for the guy. Now, on top of that, teams are talking about submitting $30m or more for the bid? Cripes, unless a team doesn't factor that into its payroll budget, that's a large chunk of change, even if it is spread out over however many years.

 

If the Cubs only needed a #1 starter, that would be a perfectly fine move on their part. But the reality of the situation is that a team might end up paying the guy >$100m over the course of 5-7 years (as rumored) if you factor in the posting fee. We don't know how successful he'll be in MLB, much less if he will stay healthy. The Cubs could take on a contract like that, but it would eat up a ton of resources.

 

The Cubs need as much help as they can get. The offense is a complete mess and the rotation needs two starters (an ace and an innings eater). If they can pick up Matsuzaka for a reasonable fee and contract, great, awesome! But if they end up signing him to a 7/$90m contract with a $25m posting fee, there is not going to be a whole lot more money to go out there and acquire some one like Soriano, much less to sign Zambrano to an extension.

 

Given some of the rumors that have been flying around, I'm slowly becoming skeptical about whether this would be a good move for the Cubs.

[Wheelimus]

Yeah, if the fee is $30 million, too rich for my blood. Especially with Boras as his agent. While most expect Matsuzaka to sign with the winning bidder, I'm just not sure. Boras is going to be in his ear telling him that if he goes back to Japan for a year, they can negotiate with every team in baseball the next year. If it's a choice between 3/30 this year, or 5/90 the next (and Boras has the balls to think he can get that latter contract), that's going to be tough to pass up.

 

I don't see anything wrong with signing Hiroki Kuroda to be our 4th starter, and then going after Schmidt.

 

However, that doesn't mean I don't want the Cubs going after Matsuzaka, it just means i'm willing to accept it if they fail. If they do, Hendry better damn well reveal what his bid was. Anything less than $20 million is probably an insult, both to Daisuke and us.

[oldcubsfan]

Why get worked up over something that Paul Sullivan wrote? He has no contacts in the organization anymore, he just speculates, because no one will tell him anything anymore. Heck, he got scooped by a NY paper last week about Trammell's hiring.

[b_wiggy_66]

Yeah, if the fee is $30 million, too rich for my blood. Especially with Boras as his agent. While most expect Matsuzaka to sign with the winning bidder, I'm just not sure. Boras is going to be in his ear telling him that if he goes back to Japan for a year, they can negotiate with every team in baseball the next year. If it's a choice between 3/30 this year, or 5/90 the next (and Boras has the balls to think he can get that latter contract), that's going to be tough to pass up.

 

I don't see anything wrong with signing Hiroki Kuroda to be our 4th starter, and then going after Schmidt.

 

However, that doesn't mean I don't want the Cubs going after Matsuzaka, it just means i'm willing to accept it if they fail. If they do, Hendry better damn well reveal what his bid was. Anything less than $20 million is probably an insult, both to Daisuke and us.

 

You make really good points. Maybe it would be better to spend about 5-7 million on Kuroda, 10-12 mil on a short 2-3 year contract with Schmidt and Weaver for about 7-9 mil. Then you get 3 pitchers just for the posting fee of Matsuzaka. You also have money to spend still on a slugger and the bench. I think I have changed my mind, I like this idea better.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Yeah, if the fee is $30 million, too rich for my blood. Especially with Boras as his agent. While most expect Matsuzaka to sign with the winning bidder, I'm just not sure. Boras is going to be in his ear telling him that if he goes back to Japan for a year, they can negotiate with every team in baseball the next year. If it's a choice between 3/30 this year, or 5/90 the next (and Boras has the balls to think he can get that latter contract), that's going to be tough to pass up.

 

I don't see anything wrong with signing Hiroki Kuroda to be our 4th starter, and then going after Schmidt.

 

However, that doesn't mean I don't want the Cubs going after Matsuzaka, it just means i'm willing to accept it if they fail. If they do, Hendry better damn well reveal what his bid was. Anything less than $20 million is probably an insult, both to Daisuke and us.

 

You make really good points. Maybe it would be better to spend about 5-7 million on Kuroda, 10-12 mil on a short 2-3 year contract with Schmidt and Weaver for about 7-9 mil. Then you get 3 pitchers just for the posting fee of Matsuzaka. You also have money to spend still on a slugger and the bench. I think I have changed my mind, I like this idea better.

 

No to Weaver.

[Wheelimus]

Yeah, if we wanted a 3rd pitcher, i'd resign Miller on the cheap or a Padilla type free agent before i'd sign Weaver. Regardless, with his playoff "heroics", he's probably playing himself into a contract nobody sane would touch.

[b_wiggy_66]

Yeah, if the fee is $30 million, too rich for my blood. Especially with Boras as his agent. While most expect Matsuzaka to sign with the winning bidder, I'm just not sure. Boras is going to be in his ear telling him that if he goes back to Japan for a year, they can negotiate with every team in baseball the next year. If it's a choice between 3/30 this year, or 5/90 the next (and Boras has the balls to think he can get that latter contract), that's going to be tough to pass up.

 

I don't see anything wrong with signing Hiroki Kuroda to be our 4th starter, and then going after Schmidt.

 

However, that doesn't mean I don't want the Cubs going after Matsuzaka, it just means i'm willing to accept it if they fail. If they do, Hendry better damn well reveal what his bid was. Anything less than $20 million is probably an insult, both to Daisuke and us.

 

You make really good points. Maybe it would be better to spend about 5-7 million on Kuroda, 10-12 mil on a short 2-3 year contract with Schmidt and Weaver for about 7-9 mil. Then you get 3 pitchers just for the posting fee of Matsuzaka. You also have money to spend still on a slugger and the bench. I think I have changed my mind, I like this idea better.

 

No to Weaver.

 

I know hes not the greatest but he has had sucess in the past and he is very durable over 200 innings every year. We need that durability. Someone like Miller would be fine to.

 

 

By the way nice pic Vance you got the Alou bandwagon goin again.

[b_wiggy_66]

Heres a link to Kurodas stats (not sure if I can do this so get rid of it if I can't)

 

http://www.japanesebaseball.com/players/player.jsp?PlayerID=986&Year=2006&Part=1

 

Not as many innings as I thought. Doesn't seem like hes had the abuse that many other pitchers have had.

[RyCubsFan]

Gotta love Kuroda's walk totals. Only 21 BB's in 189 IP last year. That certainly would be a relief on the Cubs staff.

[mg420]

i kind of like the sound of a 2007 rotation of:

 

z

schmidt

hill

kurodas

miller

[Wheelimus]

i kind of like the sound of a 2007 rotation of:

 

z

schmidt

hill

kurodas

miller

 

Or, if we're lucky

 

Z

Schmidt

Hill

Kurodas

Prior

 

:)

[Brian]

we're not lucky, we're the Cubs.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

i kind of like the sound of a 2007 rotation of:

 

z

schmidt

hill

kurodas

miller

 

Exactly, I've been hoping for a Daisuke + Padilla/Lilly type or a Schmidt/Zito + Kuroda/Saito combination of SP acquisitions.

[Outshined_One]

Or, if we're lucky

 

Z

Schmidt

Hill

Kurodas

Prior

 

:)

 

Or, if we're REALLY lucky...

 

Z

Matsuzaka

Schmidt

Kuroda

Hill/Prior

 

:D

[Blueheart05]

Or, if we're lucky

 

Z

Schmidt

Hill

Kurodas

Prior

 

:)

 

Or, if we're REALLY lucky...

 

Z

Matsuzaka

Schmidt

Kuroda

Hill/Prior

 

:D

 

If they get both Matsuzaka and Kuroda there will be no room for Schmidt because I get the feeling that Miller will be signed soon (based on Hendry's own words and items written in the newspaper). However, I won't hold my breath for Matsuzaka...

[b_wiggy_66]

i kind of like the sound of a 2007 rotation of:

 

z

schmidt

hill

kurodas

miller

 

Or, if we're lucky

 

Z

Schmidt

Hill

Kurodas

Prior

 

:)

 

Sounds good to me

[A New Era]

I wouldn't be upset with Kuroda as long as we went out and got 1 more very good pitcher and really beefed up the offense. And who knows, maybe Kuroda could have a great year. I just want a japanese guy on our team.