You think the M's will pony up the money for Daisuke and Schmidt? Honestly, no. But given all the things in their favor in terms of the Japanese players signing with them (and the fact that Schmidt isn't a slam dunk Mariner signing), I think they have to be in the top 2 or 3 (add Baltimore, I guess).
I started the Dodgers-Mets NLDS thread, there's still 3 more DS game threads to start, folks. St. Louis @ San Diego Detroit @ New York Yankees Oakland @ Minnesota
Go Dodgers! The game is on ESPN and ESPN Radio. RHP Derek Lowe (16-6, 3.63 ERA, 123/55) @ RHP John Maine (6-5, 3.60 ERA, 71/33) During the regular season, the Mets had the advantage head-to-head, 4-3.
They won't give up their first round pick, that's for certain, but not their 2nd - 4th round picks. Of course, they might do away with compensatory picks completely.
There are supposedly 20+ teams that have shown interest in Daisuke, so stating the Cubs are one of them isn't that big a deal. I still think he'll be a Yank or a Mariner.
The game is on CBS. GO BEARS! http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20061002/capt.4cc5d9fd75074721bdcfd081c3bf10c3.seahawks_bears_football_cxb112.jpg http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20061002/capt.a48d280258aa43bb88913e84ef70bf29.seahawks_bears_football_cxb121.jpg