Yankees Sign Masahiro Tanaka

[Guest]

No doubt that's why all 3 of Garza, Jimenez, and Santana are still there, but I'm curious how close they come to Lohse territory. It's getting late and I can't imagine too many teams have kept 15 million to spend until February on the hope of getting them.

[Guest]

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2014/1/16/5315026/masahiro-tanaka-rumors-posting-cubs-angels-yankees-dodgers

 

Still mostly based on the same Rosenthal tweet but

 

The team isn't considered a serious contender for 2014, but Tanaka could be a draw for fans next season, and more importantly, he could be the cornerstone for their rotation over the next few seasons as their prospects reach the majors.

 

Chicago has one of the most highly-acclaimed farm systems in baseball, featuring many of the top position players in the minors. A lineup featuring the promising bats of Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, Albert Amora, and Kris Bryant might not be far away. If general manager Jed Hoyer can find a way to pair that group with a solid pitching staff, the Cubs could be a real threat during Tanaka's prime.

 

At just 25 years old, Tanaka's long-term potential could result in a record-breaking deal, but that doesn't appear to be a major hurdle for the Cubs. League revenues are at an all-time high, and the team's current internal options for building a competitive rotation in the near future are somewhat underwhelming. Signing Tanaka would be a good way to begin addressing that issue.

[UMFan83]

Jesse Rogers @ESPNChiCubs

Renteria said he sat in on meeting w Tanaka. Cubs basically pitched him using their youth movement, per Renteria

[Guest]

Jesse Rogers @ESPNChiCubs

Renteria said he sat in on meeting w Tanaka. Cubs basically pitched him using their youth movement, per Renteria

 

Mark Gonzales ‏@MDGonzales 10m

Renteria said cubs moving forward, hopes they sold Tanaka on team's future

 

Patrick Mooney ‏@CSNMooney 8m

Renteria on Tanaka: "I'm going to try and learn a little Japanese, and if it happens, good for us."

[UMFan83]

I'm sure Tanaka was prepped on the Cubs meeting by being told Theo/Jed are 2 of the smartest baseball minds out there. I'm sure Theo/Jed did a great job of explaining in detail why they've made the decisions they have, why that's translated into a poor record the last 2+ seasons, where they are now, and why they are likely to be a contender sooner than later. I guess it all depends on whether Tanaka believes in the Cubs FO and what they are doing, or going with a team that's more of a sure thing to win immediately. (assuming the top offers are similar)

[Guest]

@GDubCub: Theo, Jed, Renteria were Cubs reps meeting Tanaka and "several reps" of his, including 2 translators, in LA last week.

[WrigleyField 22]

You poor bastards. I love this board and everyone on it, but it hurts me to see so many people holding out hope. You only are going to be hurt in the end. (Insert being a Cubs fan joke here).

 

I want Tanaka as much as everybody else, but it's not going to happen. It's over. We should go sign Matt Garza while nobody is paying attention.

They should probably do both.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I love and hate that my excitement is rising on this. It's starting to feel realistic.

[Boris]

It's always felt realistic. The deadline is approaching though, which is probably skewing your perception.

[Guest]

It's always felt realistic. The deadline is approaching though, which is probably skewing your perception.

 

I think what's skewing his perception is all of the Cubs/Tanaka chatter of the last couple of days combined with the other big rumor...but that's just me.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

It's always felt realistic. The deadline is approaching though, which is probably skewing your perception.

 

I think what's skewing his perception is all of the Cubs/Tanaka chatter of the last couple of days combined with the other big rumor...but that's just me.

 

There's suddenly a lot of Cubs chatter *and* there's good reasons why all the other big teams might be out:

 

Yankees - Thanks to Rodriguez suspension, actually have a chance to reset luxury tax.

Angels - Keep insisting they aren't really in

Dodgers - May have finally reached their limit with Kershaw extension

[Guest]

It's always felt realistic. The deadline is approaching though, which is probably skewing your perception.

 

I think what's skewing his perception is all of the Cubs/Tanaka chatter of the last couple of days combined with the other big rumor...but that's just me.

 

There's suddenly a lot of Cubs chatter *and* there's good reasons why all the other big teams might be out:

 

Yankees - Thanks to Rodriguez suspension, actually have a chance to reset luxury tax.

Angels - Keep insisting they aren't really in

Dodgers - May have finally reached their limit with Kershaw extension

 

Yeah, that stuff, too.

[Guest]

Comcast SportsNet ‏@CSNChicago 9m

Source tells @thekapman the #Cubs are 'sitting at the table with the game's heavyweights' on Masahiro Tanaka - http://bit.ly/1gRO7mN

[bukie]

Comcast SportsNet ‏@CSNChicago 9m

Source tells @thekapman the #Cubs are 'sitting at the table with the game's heavyweights' on Masahiro Tanaka - http://bit.ly/1gRO7mN

Not sure why, but that tweet made me imagine what kind of pitch Loria would make to Tanaka's group.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

It's gonna [expletive] happen. Put your positive energy out into the universe and make it happen.

 

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Everything just looks so much rosier with Tanaka in place.

 

You could hit next offseason with this already in place:

 

???/Sweeney/???

Bryant/Castro/Baez/Rizzo

Castillo

 

Tanaka/Samardzija/Wood/Jackson/(Arrieta or Hendricks)

A bunch of bullpen guys

 

(there are also variants with Alcantara or Olt winning jobs, and maybe Lake does like a Dom Brown or something, but whatever).

 

If anyone said that team wasn't close enough to make major free agency make sense, they would get punched in the face.

 

But take out Tanaka, and you have to spend all your efforts and resources finding a TOR pitcher before you even know if it makes sense to add more, and you probably trade Samardzija as well.

[Boris]

It's always felt realistic. The deadline is approaching though, which is probably skewing your perception.

 

I think what's skewing his perception is all of the Cubs/Tanaka chatter of the last couple of days combined with the other big rumor...but that's just me.

 

There's suddenly a lot of Cubs chatter *and* there's good reasons why all the other big teams might be out:

 

Yankees - Thanks to Rodriguez suspension, actually have a chance to reset luxury tax.

Angels - Keep insisting they aren't really in

Dodgers - May have finally reached their limit with Kershaw extension

 

None of those things are actually surprises. All of them were already known. I think it is more fans just not thinking the Cubs are going to do anything.

[Guest]

It's always felt realistic. The deadline is approaching though, which is probably skewing your perception.

 

I think what's skewing his perception is all of the Cubs/Tanaka chatter of the last couple of days combined with the other big rumor...but that's just me.

 

There's suddenly a lot of Cubs chatter *and* there's good reasons why all the other big teams might be out:

 

Yankees - Thanks to Rodriguez suspension, actually have a chance to reset luxury tax.

Angels - Keep insisting they aren't really in

Dodgers - May have finally reached their limit with Kershaw extension

 

None of those things are actually surprises. All of them were already known. I think it is more fans just not thinking the Cubs are going to do anything.

 

What?

 

The Kershaw extension wasn't done until yesterday and came pretty much out of nowhere in terms of timing (i.e. pretty sure nobody knew if it would happen before Tanaka's deadline or not).

 

The Yankees getting bailed out of the ARod money was very very much in question.

[jersey cubs fan]

The Yankees getting bailed out of the ARod money was very very much in question.

The writing was on the wall with that one a long time ago.

[Guest]

The Yankees getting bailed out of the ARod money was very very much in question.

The writing was on the wall with that one a long time ago.

 

You're more in the area so you probably have a better idea than I do, but I didn't get that impression.

 

In fact, it seemed like everyone was resigned to the "the yankees are going to blow past the luxury tax threshold" idea at this point.

[Boris]

I guess. The writing was on the walls all off season on all three of those examples. I just don't see anything new that would bolster our already good position to land Tanaka except for this news of a possible new media rights deal.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I guess. The writing was on the walls all off season on all three of those examples. I just don't see anything new that would bolster our already good position to land Tanaka except for this news of a possible new media rights deal.

 

There's been several very specific reports in the last 36 hours connecting the Cubs more intensely than we'd seen in the week or so before.

[Boris]

That's because the deadline is approaching.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

That's because the deadline is approaching.

 

And as the deadline approached, we could have seen the chatter pick up on the Cubs or die off. The fact that it's the former has me more excited than I was.

[Guest]

I guess. The writing was on the walls all off season on all three of those examples. I just don't see anything new that would bolster our already good position to land Tanaka except for this news of a possible new media rights deal.

 

There's been several very specific reports in the last 36 hours connecting the Cubs more intensely than we'd seen in the week or so before.

 

Yeah. And ABTY did a 180 from his very pessimistic take of a couple days ago. Well, not necessarily in terms of his own personal expectations, but saying that they're the high bidder right now is huge.