Not our Star Blazer: Yamamoto signs with the Dodgers for $325 million, 12 years
- Thread starter TimScribble
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One of the things that has always kept me rooting for the Sox is senseless optimism. I was at game 3 of the ALDS in 2004, in the rain, saying "if they are going to break the curse, this would be a cool way to do it." Anyway. We do believe that the Sox have been extensively engaged with scouting Yoshi for some time, also heard in Sept link that Masa is close with Yoshi. I know this has been covered over the course of the thread. The possibility exists that he's heard enough about a recent Boston experience (greatest fans) from Masa to simply have the RedSox as the team and offer to beat. Also the possibility that the extra time to make a decision that was just announced is about a final visit to beantown. Perhaps a little too Polar Express, but we are not out yet.
I would phrase it differently: did they look so awesome with Brady? Or did they look like a team that had been picking near the end of the draft for 20 years? Their talent gap is across the roster, and like the Sox, it's actually getting better, but because of key positions not being fixed, the results don't show it, and play into lazy narratives about how the smartest organization of the past two decades is now a bunch of fools.
I totally agree that they have been in rebuild mode. Like the Pats, they reached a point talent-wise where they couldn't keep plugging the holes. I wish they had the guts to just admit it, but maybe there are other reasons for not saying what we could pretty much all see? Sox ownership has done a great job but they seem unnecessarily thin-skinned. Just hold up the rings, tell people what you're doing, and then stop listening to the Globe.
Somewhere John Henry embraces his inner Vin Diesel (I’m sure it’s in there) and reaches for a 400m dollar nitrous bottle.
‘throttles are for pu**ies’ he sneered as he mashed the button and his foot went to the floorboards…
When words are hard to come by, there is always ChatGPT:
Yamamoto's choice
Red Sox's plea fades in air
Silent parting ways.
Yamamoto's choice
Red Sox's plea fades in air
Silent parting ways.
I don't imagine there would be any such ramifications or else it would have made its way into the media narrative by now. I'm not an agent or a lawyer, though. Can you expand on your thinking here? Curious as to what you're envisioning and why the same wouldn't have applied to, say, the Yoshida deal a year ago.
It's why Boston probably needs to offer a lot more than LA, NYY, or NYM. But for YY to simply not even consider Boston out of the gate seems....insane.
Anybody who’s worked an old outboard knows that equally important to throttle considerations are those associated with the choke.
This is the main reason I've become pessimistic about the Red Sox' chances. If the rumors are true that he wants the largest market and the biggest stage, then NY or LA are the logical choices. He's already been successful on the biggest stages he's faced - NPB, Olympics, WBC - what else is left? He's a young stud athlete with international appeal, an apparently engaging personality, and IMO very good looking...he'll have sponsors beating down his door.
He might just be thinking he wants to live in NY and Cohen promised him unlimited money, so why bother with the Sox?
Supposedly they haven’t even really exchanged numbers yet. When you have your heart set on living in certain places, $300 million isn’t much different from $500. For all we know the thought of living in Boston is the same as living in Detroit, Philly, or like 15 other US cities without as much stuff going on as New York or LA.
They have to start developing pitching instead of thinking they’re getting a quick fix through free agency because it probably won’t happen.
So if he’s not even considering the Sox, what do we make of all the talk about the Sox making him their primary target, offering him $300M+, etc. Did this really happen, or was it a leak from the org that doesn’t leak….designed to do what, exactly? If he was never considering Boston, you’d think the org should have a sense of that a while ago and ideally, planned accordingly.
Exactly I’m not hanging out another day on the east coast in the winter waiting out a storm to go to a place that I wouldn’t want to live in. He has two teams in NY to bid against each other so he didn’t need to come here. He probably only went to San Francisco because the Angels are a train wreck and he needed someone to bid the Dodgers up.
Why do I constantly read people wanting Manaea?!? My God, have you followed his career and watched him pitch? He’s pitched in 3 MASSIVE pitcher’s parks and Rs always destroy him. He would be a disaster in Fenway Park with his high fly ball & HR rate. Peoples’ lives in the Monster seats would be IN DANGER.
Yeah, there is another report about him taking his decision out past New Year's, so what if he shows up in Boston next week? I still don't think anyone knows much.
I'd guess they are trying, and his agents hvae reasons to keep Sox in the bidding until late just to maximize leverage on bids. Not sure why the agents wouldn't proceed as if he were serious about most teams who could push the bidding up, or how a team can tell he is not considering them until very late in the process (when, for example, he doesn't visit a city if that is in fact the situation)
Breslow and Warner did say the Sox would likely be scouring the trade market for pitching, so they probably agreed internally that Yamamoto would be a long shot. One worth pursuing, because you never know, but a long shot nonetheless. Trade market for pitchers the Sox would actually want hasn't really opened up yet, so everyone waits.
Doesn't mean the Sox didn't offer $300M. Also, recall those rumors that the Sox were interested in Imanga? Again, he won't sign until after Yamamoto anyway, but maybe the Sox have figured Imanga to be their main target all along.
Exactly. Plan B time would seem to have arrived. If he’s not willing to accept an invitation to Fenway — which must have been delivered — then it’s arguably time to pivot in another direction and beat the YY hopefuls to any desirable FA pitcher who they can lockup before YY takes his talents to the South Bronx.
He’s just not that into us.
Yep, and if that truly is the case, then I can't be upset with the Sox, because they literally would have had no chance at him regardless of how much they offered.
I’m not sure I’d classify the FO as one that never leaks; only that there have been times where they’ve moved quickly before rumors got out. If they knew they were out, they certainly would have a PR fan messaging incentive to leak that they had made a significant offer.
Or it could simply be that the low $300M range is just not really in the ballpark and Yamamoto has the LA/SF/NYY/NYM in the high $300s to $400.
The contract parameters are sure to be unique for this one. If I wanted to win I'd go with 5 for 500 mill opt out after 2. $`100 million dollar man who beats Ohtani's Current value and chance to cash in again at 27.
If you gave him 500 mil for 5 years I’m guessing you wouldn’t need to offer the opt out.
What if you defer most of that 500 mill to be paid at the heat death of the universe?
Two things:
If there is anything to the idea that he’s not interested in the Sox, I expect the team to make some kind of announcement by tomorrow that they are out, in order to mitigate the PR damage. If we don’t get such an announcement by tomorrow then I believe the team continues to believe they are in the running despite the media reading of the tea leaves.
Secondly, if he has decided against the Sox, he’s one human being making choices about what he wants in his life. He’s 25 and he’s said to want the biggest stage. Here in the States that means LA or New York. From population to media markets to hold on the popular imagination—especially around the world—it just does. That is not an indictment in any way of Boston or of the Red Sox. It means nothing about our past or our future or our organizational philosophy or outlook. It means that to a certain type of person who wants the brightest lights, we’re simply not going to be as attractive an opportunity as LA and NY.
If Yamamoto is truly going elsewhere then there are so many other excellent opportunities for the Sox to pursue this offseason.
If there is anything to the idea that he’s not interested in the Sox, I expect the team to make some kind of announcement by tomorrow that they are out, in order to mitigate the PR damage. If we don’t get such an announcement by tomorrow then I believe the team continues to believe they are in the running despite the media reading of the tea leaves.
Secondly, if he has decided against the Sox, he’s one human being making choices about what he wants in his life. He’s 25 and he’s said to want the biggest stage. Here in the States that means LA or New York. From population to media markets to hold on the popular imagination—especially around the world—it just does. That is not an indictment in any way of Boston or of the Red Sox. It means nothing about our past or our future or our organizational philosophy or outlook. It means that to a certain type of person who wants the brightest lights, we’re simply not going to be as attractive an opportunity as LA and NY.
If Yamamoto is truly going elsewhere then there are so many other excellent opportunities for the Sox to pursue this offseason.
I think the Sox were sincere and serious about their pursuit of YY. Mazz was saying today that sources he has who usually have stuff Sox-related have nothing. When you’re tight-lipped, you are usually meaning serious business. They did get an initial meeting with him, so they’re in the game. Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. At the end of the day, I just want the Sox in the game on the biggest free agents in the game. If they’re serious about spending, they’ll land someone. But after the last few years, I have to see it to believe it.
I don't think teams are allowed to do this, it would be a collusion violation. There are ways to do it if they really wanted to, I guess, but a grey area that teams tend to stay away from.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_collusion
Yoshida was older, and his total contract value was under $100M. We might see 25-year-old YY joining Cole in the same rotation for one of the most lucrative pitching contracts in MLB. Maybe Boras-types will try to find an angle to blow up the MLB draft on some kind of restraint-of-trade grounds. Nothing probably changes. though.
OK I didn’t realize that. Thank you for that info. I suppose they could leak something but we may end up having to remain in the dark for a while.
Montgomery’s agent must be salivating if the Sox are willing to spend that and they don’t land Yamamoto.
Yoshida's opinion (thumbs up or thumbs down) on playing in Boston is likely a key input. Since YY is at least talking to the Sox, then maybe Yoshida's review was at least neutral if not positive. On the other hand, YY's agent would want to keep the Sox in as bidders as long as possible even with a negative review from Yoshida.
As someone noted upthread, maybe the trip to Boston got wiped out by the major windstorm. As is typical, no one knows anything right now.
As someone noted upthread, maybe the trip to Boston got wiped out by the major windstorm. As is typical, no one knows anything right now.
Well, at least a new generation gets to experience the little brother syndrome we all grew up with.
I think the idea would be leaking it to all Boston outlets that they aren’t in on YY. IMO, I completely agree.
If they truly know that they are out then I expect them to get in front of it with leaks. It would be the smart thing to do
Also if things got serious with him and the Sox he could just jump on a plane and be there
Is there someone expendable in the minors we can sacrifice in exchange for 2017 Sale?
If we do miss out on YY, which seems more likely than not even when accounting for how spotty the available info is, then I can imagine some semblance of and in no particular order
Bello
Sale
Pivetta
Montgomery/Snell/Trade acquisition
Whit/Houck/etc etc
That setup obviously involves making moves that we can’t guarantee they’ll make and relies on a lot of the wishcasting (i.e healthy Sale, Bello progressing, Pivetta’s late season success being real) that’s similar to how I sounded before last season but it’s a decent rotation if you get lucky. Which is of course a big “if” as we all know. They’ll have to figure some shit out if they can’t get Yamamoto but it seems like they made a real effort and I can’t exactly blame them if he just wants to take someone else’s money.
I feel like it is going to be just as difficult for the Red Sox to lock down Montgomery/Snell or the other sought after pitchers.
The fact that neither are 25 year old international stars probably makes their situations different.
I’m pretty confident that if you give either one of those guys the most money, they’ll come here.
And, the other teams that lose out on YY and likely others will be in the bidding too. The Red Sox cannot rest on this "we won four WS titles in the last 20 years" approach because it isn't working.
Wait, so that's the approach they're taking with free agents? Do they at least serve snacks?
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