The Kosuke Fukudome & Hiroki Kuroda Thread

[Post Count Padder]

Kosuke Fukudome-OF- Player Dec. 3 - 6:26 pm et

 

 

Agent Joe Urbon is scheduled to meet with the Giants, as well as the Cubs, regarding Kosuke Fukudome.

 

Fukudome has always made a lot of sense for the Giants as a replacement for Barry Bonds in the outfield. The Padres and White Sox are also thought to be interested, though the White Sox may take themselves out of the mix after landing Carlos Quentin.

Source: MLB.com

[Lefty]

Joe Urbon, agent for free-agent outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, was scheduled to talk with the Chicago Cubs on Monday afternoon and was expected to talk with the San Francisco Giants.

 

Those two teams, along with the White Sox, Padres and Rangers, are interested in Fukudome, who also has an offer from the Tokyo Giants.

 

Fukudome, 30, batted .294 for the Chunichi Dragons in 2007, and has a career on-base percentage of nearly .400 and a career slugging percentage of better than .500. The left-handed hitter was named the Central League's Most Valuable Player in 2006, when he hit .351 with 31 homers and 104 RBIs. He was limited to 81 games in 2007 before undergoing season-ending surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow.

http://wintermeetings.mlblogs.com/nashvilleconfidential/2007/12/monday_whispers.html

 

Ha ha, did you guys see this from that link?

 

Finley, "Bus" making the rounds

 

Among the handful of free agents in Nashville looking for jobs was Steve Finley, who was spotted roaming the lobby at the Opryland Hotel. Finley, 42, played in 43 games for the Rockies in '07.

 

"I wouldn't play if I thought I was going to embarrass myself," Finley said.

 

He hits left-handed, used to be fast. Do we have to worry here?

[Lefty]

Joe Urbon, agent for free-agent outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, was scheduled to talk with the Chicago Cubs on Monday afternoon and was expected to talk with the San Francisco Giants.

 

Those two teams, along with the White Sox, Padres and Rangers, are interested in Fukudome, who also has an offer from the Tokyo Giants.

 

Fukudome, 30, batted .294 for the Chunichi Dragons in 2007, and has a career on-base percentage of nearly .400 and a career slugging percentage of better than .500. The left-handed hitter was named the Central League's Most Valuable Player in 2006, when he hit .351 with 31 homers and 104 RBIs. He was limited to 81 games in 2007 before undergoing season-ending surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow.

http://wintermeetings.mlblogs.com/nashvilleconfidential/2007/12/monday_whispers.html

 

Ha ha, did you guys see this from that link?

 

Finley, "Bus" making the rounds

 

Among the handful of free agents in Nashville looking for jobs was Steve Finley, who was spotted roaming the lobby at the Opryland Hotel. Finley, 42, played in 43 games for the Rockies in '07.

 

"I wouldn't play if I thought I was going to embarrass myself," Finley said.

 

He hits left-handed, used to be fast. Do we have to worry here?

[CubColtPacer]

Joe Urbon, agent for free-agent outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, was scheduled to talk with the Chicago Cubs on Monday afternoon and was expected to talk with the San Francisco Giants.

 

Those two teams, along with the White Sox, Padres and Rangers, are interested in Fukudome, who also has an offer from the Tokyo Giants.

 

Fukudome, 30, batted .294 for the Chunichi Dragons in 2007, and has a career on-base percentage of nearly .400 and a career slugging percentage of better than .500. The left-handed hitter was named the Central League's Most Valuable Player in 2006, when he hit .351 with 31 homers and 104 RBIs. He was limited to 81 games in 2007 before undergoing season-ending surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow.

http://wintermeetings.mlblogs.com/nashvilleconfidential/2007/12/monday_whispers.html

 

Ha ha, did you guys see this from that link?

 

Finley, "Bus" making the rounds

 

Among the handful of free agents in Nashville looking for jobs was Steve Finley, who was spotted roaming the lobby at the Opryland Hotel. Finley, 42, played in 43 games for the Rockies in '07.

 

"I wouldn't play if I thought I was going to embarrass myself," Finley said.

 

He hits left-handed, used to be fast. Do we have to worry here?

 

Nope. Finley begged Hendry to sign him last year for all of January and February and Hendry refused to, and remember that Hendry was looking everywhere for a CF at the time. I doubt a year off for Finley is going to do much to change that.

[RammyFanny]

The report i've seem om from the San Diego Trib, but here's Rosenthal confirming the Padres might give us trouble (sorry if already posted):

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Cubs are facing significant competition for their No. 1 target, Japanese free-agent outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. The Padres have emerged as a serious contender for Fukudome, according to major-league sources.

 

The market for Fukudome, 30, is moving quickly, sources say, with the White Sox and Dodgers also showing significant interest.

Fukudome, a left-handed hitter, would play right field for the Cubs, and could play center or an outfield corner for the Padres, Dodgers and White Sox. He played center for Japan in the World Baseball Classic.

 

The Padres envision Fukudome possibly replacing free agent Mike Cameron, who has told the team that he will not accept their offer of a one-year contract through salary arbitration.

 

Cameron, who turns 35 on Jan. 8, is entertaining multi-year offers from more than one club and continues to negotiate with the Padres.

 

Fukudome has not yet officially declared his intent to play in the majors next season. He is also considering an offer from the Tokyo Giants, the leading franchise in Japan, but is expected to sign with a major-league team.

 

If the Padres lose Cameron and fail to sign Fukudome, their next target could be Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds in a trade. Edmonds, who turns 38 on June 27, has full no-trade protection, but likely would consider a return to his native southern California under the right conditions.

 

The Padres met with the Cardinals on Monday.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7521692

[Bruno7481]

Will Carroll from BP:

 

The Cubs have several things simmering at once, but even after missing out on Kaz Matsui, they're still focused on Japan. A big preemptive offer to Kosuke Fukudome could be made soon, as the cubs focus on adding lefty bats. They're also willing to deal spare parts like Ryan Dempster, Scott Eyre, and Matt Murton.

[Schwarber Fan]

Dempster is a spare part now? I thought he was a starter?

[CUBZ99]

Dempster is a spare part now? I thought he was a starter?

 

Spare part? :lol: You got to give it to Hendry though, he has been playing up the Dempster to the rotation bit.

[Outshined_One]

This has been one of the most confusing offseasons I can remember...

[Post Count Padder]

This has been one of the most confusing offseasons I can remember...

Fantastic.

[Rob]

This has been one of the most confusing offseasons I can remember...

 

It's not that bad.

 

Cubs need:

 

Starting SS

Good backup catcher with clean bill of health (as an insurance policy for Soto)

 

Jim Hendry "needs":

 

Left-handed/switch hitters

People who can run

Replacements for our .791 OPS and .790 OPS cheap 2B and RF

 

Lou Piniella "needs":

 

RHSP so we wont have three lefties in our rotation

[Post Count Padder]

This has been one of the most confusing offseasons I can remember...

 

It's not that bad.

 

Cubs need:

 

Starting SS

Good backup catcher with clean bill of health (as an insurance policy for Soto)

 

Jim Hendry "needs":

 

Left-handed/switch hitters

People who can run

Replacements for our .791 OPS and .790 OPS cheap 2B and RF

 

Lou Piniella "needs":

 

RHSP so we wont have three lefties in our rotation

Sounds about right

[inari]

Will Carroll from BP:

 

The Cubs have several things simmering at once, but even after missing out on Kaz Matsui, they're still focused on Japan. A big preemptive offer to Kosuke Fukudome could be made soon, as the cubs focus on adding lefty bats. They're also willing to deal spare parts like Ryan Dempster, Scott Eyre, and Matt Murton.

 

I really hope that "soon" means tomorrow. And that he'll accept it right away.

[snoodmonger]

Dempster is a spare part now? I thought he was a starter?

 

Spare part? :lol: You got to give it to Hendry though, he has been playing up the Dempster to the rotation bit.

 

 

Yeah, I'm officially confused.

[Post Count Padder]

Hiroki Kuroda-S- Player Dec. 4 - 9:26 am et

 

 

According to the New York Post, the Mets are "very much in the mix" for Hiroki Kuroda and "have moved past what was essentially an opening round of bidding."

 

The newspaper reports that there are 8-10 teams in the running for Kuroda and there was speculation Monday that the Mariners have offered him $44 million over four years to take the lead.

Source: New York Post

[RynoRules]

I like that we are seeing the Cubs named in several different places. Just makes life more interesting.

[CuseCubFan69]

I like that we are seeing the Cubs named in several different places. Just makes life more interesting.

 

I'm still hoping they sign Garvey or IRod!

[PrimeTime]

Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee tell us your coming to the USA Kosuke...If the Padres steal him away,all hell is gunna break loose

[GoCubsGo1679625768]

In the end, I don't think the Padres will offer enough $$$$.

[justlikethecubs]

I think some of this about Fukudome has already been posted but I had not read any rumors about us trying to deal for Dunn? Did I miss something or is the writer just guessing? This was on Pro Sports Daily from the New York Post

 

 

 

"The Cubs have prioritized finding a lefty-hitting right fielder. The free-agent market is not appealing to them (Geoff Jenkins and Brad Wilkerson) and their attempts to land Cincinnati's Adam Dunn in a deal fizzled. So they are focused on Japanese free agent Kosuke Fukudome, who has not even said officially he will come to the States.

 

Chicago considers Fukudome a five-tool asset capable of playing any outfield position. There have been comparisons to Hideki Matsui, but the Cubs feel Fukudome has less power than Matsui, but is a superior runner and thrower. If the Cubs fail on Fukudome, they could become interested in Johnny Damon, though Damon certainly does not have the arm to play right field."

[UMFan83]

I think some of this about Fukudome has already been posted but I had not read any rumors about us trying to deal for Dunn? Did I miss something or is the writer just guessing? This was on Pro Sports Daily from the New York Post

 

 

 

"The Cubs have prioritized finding a lefty-hitting right fielder. The free-agent market is not appealing to them (Geoff Jenkins and Brad Wilkerson) and their attempts to land Cincinnati's Adam Dunn in a deal fizzled. So they are focused on Japanese free agent Kosuke Fukudome, who has not even said officially he will come to the States.

 

Chicago considers Fukudome a five-tool asset capable of playing any outfield position. There have been comparisons to Hideki Matsui, but the Cubs feel Fukudome has less power than Matsui, but is a superior runner and thrower. If the Cubs fail on Fukudome, they could become interested in Johnny Damon, though Damon certainly does not have the arm to play right field."

 

I read that too, but I didn't want to post in on here and get blamed for starting a 93 page thread.

[justlikethecubs]

I think some of this about Fukudome has already been posted but I had not read any rumors about us trying to deal for Dunn? Did I miss something or is the writer just guessing? This was on Pro Sports Daily from the New York Post

 

 

 

"The Cubs have prioritized finding a lefty-hitting right fielder. The free-agent market is not appealing to them (Geoff Jenkins and Brad Wilkerson) and their attempts to land Cincinnati's Adam Dunn in a deal fizzled. So they are focused on Japanese free agent Kosuke Fukudome, who has not even said officially he will come to the States.

 

Chicago considers Fukudome a five-tool asset capable of playing any outfield position. There have been comparisons to Hideki Matsui, but the Cubs feel Fukudome has less power than Matsui, but is a superior runner and thrower. If the Cubs fail on Fukudome, they could become interested in Johnny Damon, though Damon certainly does not have the arm to play right field."

 

I read that too, but I didn't want to post in on here and get blamed for starting a 93 page thread.

 

I usually dont hear about those rumors until 40 + pages in so I had to wonder if it was buried in another thread.

[C.C.]

A buddy of mine went to a Lou Piniella event and had a quick conversation with him:

 

 

T – Lou, what’s it going to take to get Crawford?

 

Lou – He’s not going anywhere. They already traded that other kid.

 

T - So, that trades precludes them trading any more outfielders?

 

Lou – Yes.

 

T – What about that Japanese kid?

 

Lou – THAT’S the guy we want!

 

T – So does everyone else!

 

Lou – Yeah, but if he leaves Japan, we’re one of 3 teams that he’ll go to.

 

T – We know that?

 

Lou – Yes, we are one of 3.

 

T – What about the White Sox, they’re interested too, and they have precedent with Japanese players?

 

Lou – Forget about the Sox! He’s not going there.

 

T - Thanks Lou.

[CuseCubFan69]

Will Carroll from BP:

 

The Cubs have several things simmering at once, but even after missing out on Kaz Matsui, they're still focused on Japan. A big preemptive offer to Kosuke Fukudome could be made soon, as the cubs focus on adding lefty bats. They're also willing to deal spare parts like Ryan Dempster, Scott Eyre, and Matt Murton.

 

I really hope that "soon" means tomorrow. And that he'll accept it right away.

 

Would the Cubs still trade Eyre now that they already traded another lefty in Ohman?

[B]

A buddy of mine went to a Lou Piniella event and had a quick conversation with him:

 

 

T – Lou, what’s it going to take to get Crawford?

 

Lou – He’s not going anywhere. They already traded that other kid.

 

T - So, that trades precludes them trading any more outfielders?

 

Lou – Yes.

 

T – What about that Japanese kid?

 

Lou – THAT’S the guy we want!

 

T – So does everyone else!

 

Lou – Yeah, but if he leaves Japan, we’re one of 3 teams that he’ll go to.

 

T – We know that?

 

Lou – Yes, we are one of 3.

 

T – What about the White Sox, they’re interested too, and they have precedent with Japanese players?

 

Lou – Forget about the Sox! He’s not going there.

 

T - Thanks Lou.

 

I pity the fool.