Yankees Sign Masahiro Tanaka

[Cubswin11]

I want Tanaka on this team too in a bad way, but I do fear that we are building this guy up to be Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson rolled into one.

A young Hiroki Kuroda is what I'm expecting, that could have a higher ceiling with being able to develop above that with MLB coaching staffs/experience. A prime Dan Haren is what I think he could be if he hits his ceiling, based on reports of his splitter.

[NOLA]

Who is?

Maybe a little hyperbole on my part, but the "get him at any cost" narrative is what I'm referring to. I want him badly, but my excitement is tempered a bit.

[Sammy Sofa]

Who is?

Maybe a little hyperbole on my part, but the "get him at any cost" narrative is what I'm referring to. I want him badly, but my excitement is tempered a bit.

 

People want him at any cost because he's young and expected to be a good pitcher and the Cubs need him. I really haven't seen anyone here building him up to be some kind of super-ace.

[Soul]

Still think there's a chance the Cubs are being used as leverage, here.

 

Also not convinced this 25mil/yr stuff is real.

[Fro]

Who is?

Maybe a little hyperbole on my part, but the "get him at any cost" narrative is what I'm referring to. I want him badly, but my excitement is tempered a bit.

 

People want him at any cost because he's young and expected to be a good pitcher and the Cubs need him. I really haven't seen anyone here building him up to be some kind of super-ace.

 

He's probably not going to be a Cy Young winner but Kuroda-good is still a Top 10 pitcher in the NL. People are thinking that's the floor, assuming his arm doesn't fall off.

[NOLA]

Who is?

Maybe a little hyperbole on my part, but the "get him at any cost" narrative is what I'm referring to. I want him badly, but my excitement is tempered a bit.

 

People want him at any cost because he's young and expected to be a good pitcher and the Cubs need him. I really haven't seen anyone here building him up to be some kind of super-ace.

 

Maybe not, but I can very much see a scenario where he gets the Soriano treatment, where he may be a pretty decent player but is seen as a bust because of the money he makes. Add to that the fact that he won't be able to directly speak to the media and I could see this playing out.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Of course some fans are probably going to turn on him eventually.

[jersey cubs fan]

Who is?

Maybe a little hyperbole on my part, but the "get him at any cost" narrative is what I'm referring to. I want him badly, but my excitement is tempered a bit.

 

People want him at any cost because he's young and expected to be a good pitcher and the Cubs need him. I really haven't seen anyone here building him up to be some kind of super-ace.

 

Maybe not, but I can very much see a scenario where he gets the Soriano treatment, where he may be a pretty decent player but is seen as a bust because of the money he makes. Add to that the fact that he won't be able to directly speak to the media and I could see this playing out.

I thought it was annoying when idiots blamed good players on good teams for not being good enough. But it's much more annoying when there are no good players and the team is bad. I can live with rozners bitching about soriano jr.

[Sammy Sofa]

Basically any player that signs any kind of big deal, be it an extension or a FA signing or somethings like this, is going to get extra pressure from the meatballs. It's unavoidable.

[gscool89]

RT @TomLoxas: Heard #Cubs offer for Tanaka in 160 mil neighborhood plus posting fee.

[NOLA]

Even beyond the meatballs though. I think some of us are so hungry for any infusion of talent that we're looking for Tanaka to be a savior of sorts, or at least some of the rhetoric seems like that. It's like the old Eddie Murphy Ritz cracker routine. We may be really let down if we find out that he's just an ordinary cracker, no pun intended.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

RT @TomLoxas: Heard #Cubs offer for Tanaka in 160 mil neighborhood plus posting fee.

 

Which matches up with Rogers' report yesterday.

 

The two worries at this point are

 

a) LA or NYY decides at the last minute to match us

b) He's willing to take less money to go to one of those places.

[Sammy Sofa]

Even beyond the meatballs though. I think some of us are so hungry for any infusion of talent that we're looking for Tanaka to be a savior of sorts, or at least some of the rhetoric seems like that.

 

I think you might be projecting a bit.

[jersey cubs fan]

Even beyond the meatballs though. I think some of us are so hungry for any infusion of talent that we're looking for Tanaka to be a savior of sorts, or at least some of the rhetoric seems like that. It's like the old Eddie Murphy Ritz cracker routine. We may be really let down if we find out that he's just an ordinary cracker, no pun intended.

Eating regular crackers is still better than going home alone again.

 

 

 

Right Kyle?

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Even beyond the meatballs though. I think some of us are so hungry for any infusion of talent that we're looking for Tanaka to be a savior of sorts, or at least some of the rhetoric seems like that. It's like the old Eddie Murphy Ritz cracker routine. We may be really let down if we find out that he's just an ordinary cracker, no pun intended.

 

Tanaka isn't a savior. He's a tipping point.

 

He's a very good player at a position where we need a very good player in the next couple of years. He's also the very rare type of player that fits the extremely strict qualifications that would make this front office/ownership interested.

 

If we don't get Tanaka, we get nothing for this year. We enter next year in a very similar situation to the one that made us choose to get nothing this year. And without something this year or next year, we're probably not good enough to make the playoffs the year after that, either.

[NOLA]

Even beyond the meatballs though. I think some of us are so hungry for any infusion of talent that we're looking for Tanaka to be a savior of sorts, or at least some of the rhetoric seems like that.

 

I think you might be projecting a bit.

Maybe, and I hope so.

[NOLA]

Even beyond the meatballs though. I think some of us are so hungry for any infusion of talent that we're looking for Tanaka to be a savior of sorts, or at least some of the rhetoric seems like that. It's like the old Eddie Murphy Ritz cracker routine. We may be really let down if we find out that he's just an ordinary cracker, no pun intended.

 

Tanaka isn't a savior. He's a tipping point.

Well said.

[Guest]

Even beyond the meatballs though. I think some of us are so hungry for any infusion of talent that we're looking for Tanaka to be a savior of sorts, or at least some of the rhetoric seems like that. It's like the old Eddie Murphy Ritz cracker routine. We may be really let down if we find out that he's just an ordinary cracker, no pun intended.

 

Tanaka isn't a savior. He's a tipping point.

 

He's a very good player at a position where we need a very good player in the next couple of years. He's also the very rare type of player that fits the extremely strict qualifications that would make this front office/ownership interested.

 

If we don't get Tanaka, we get nothing for this year. We enter next year in a very similar situation to the one that made us choose to get nothing this year. And without something this year or next year, we're probably not good enough to make the playoffs the year after that, either.

 

sadly, you're right. without Tanaka, we have no reason not to trade shark, and then it's a whole lot of waiting again.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

sadly, you're right. without Tanaka, we have no reason not to trade shark, and then it's a whole lot of waiting again.

 

Precisely. Without Tanaka, you dump Samardzija, and even if you add one impact player per year *besides* the graduating prospects, then you are still probably not a great team until like 2017, if ever.

 

But add Tanaka, keep Samardzija, add someone next offseason, and you're almost there assuming some of the prospects break in.

[Guest]

sadly, you're right. without Tanaka, we have no reason not to trade shark, and then it's a whole lot of waiting again.

 

Precisely. Without Tanaka, you dump Samardzija, and even if you add one impact player per year *besides* the graduating prospects, then you are still probably not a great team until like 2017, if ever.

 

But add Tanaka, keep Samardzija, add someone next offseason, and you're almost there assuming some of the prospects break in.

 

Tanaka gives them a good top 3, which is what you have to have to play in October.

 

Add someone next year, like you said, and you have a tough top 4 and a rubber-armed 5 in Jackson. Something to build on.

[Clem Fandango]

According to Nikkan Sports in Japan, five teams made formal offers -- nearly all of them worth more than $100 million over six years -- to Masahiro Tanaka on January 16.

Aaron Steen of MLB Trade Rumors provided the translation of the Japanese story. The five teams are said to be the Yankees, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, White Sox and Cubs. One team that was said to not be a serious contender for Tanaka's services was the Angels. The January 24 signing deadline is quickly approaching, and with his serious suitors now identified it's just a matter of waiting to see which one winds up winning the sweepstakes for the 25-year-old.

[SpongeWorthy]

Who is?

Maybe a little hyperbole on my part, but the "get him at any cost" narrative is what I'm referring to. I want him badly, but my excitement is tempered a bit.

 

People want him at any cost because he's young and expected to be a good pitcher and the Cubs need him. I really haven't seen anyone here building him up to be some kind of super-ace.

 

Maybe not, but I can very much see a scenario where he gets the Soriano treatment, where he may be a pretty decent player but is seen as a bust because of the money he makes. Add to that the fact that he won't be able to directly speak to the media and I could see this playing out.

 

For all the kvetching about Soriano over the years it's not like he ever dogged it or held himself out with fake injuries due to withering fan criticism.

[SouthSideRyan]

D-Backs? Towers either bid 1Y/1M or 12Y/400M

[CubsWin]

The whole point of letting Ramirez and Pena go (and getting Pierce Johnson and Paul Blackburn with those picks), trading Soriano for 5 million dollars, not biting on big name FAs in their 30s who are really good players that could help in the short term, building the farm with picks and prospects from trading short term assets Dempster, Garza, Maholm & Feldman and maintaining payroll flexibility is precisely so that when a player like Tanaka comes along they can overspend to get him. Everything Theo & Co. have done over the last two seasons was so that they would be in position to do this.

 

Overspending is not my concern. Not getting him is.

[bigkid66]

If they get Tanaka I don't see them keeping Shark. Even though they keep pumping him up in the media I don't think they see him as #1 and maybe not a #2. I think they trade him for assets at the deadline. Then they package some of their young hitting assets for ML-ready (or very close) pitching.