This is noble and sad but untrue. Farrell and Nieves have the job and the obligation to study him and make sure he is ready to pitch. Given his recent outings they don't seem to be looking out for him. Shut him down asap.soxhop411 said:“@GordonEdes: Koji, still in uniform, summoned Japanese reporters, said [translated]: "I'm responsible for everything, it's my fault.''”
I
https://twitter.com/GordonEdes/status/507722463728664576
link to tweet
I can never get mad at him after last year.
Like I said in the GDT. Both parties will need to agree to shut him down given he is a FA and not under contract with the team next year.InsideTheParker said:This is noble and sad but untrue. Farrell and Nieves have the job and the obligation to study him and make sure he is ready to pitch. Given his recent outings they don't seem to be looking out for him. Shut him down asap.
Harry Hooper said:Why is this a binary choice: keep pitching him or shut him down? How about having him take 10 or so days off, and then make a few appearances before the season ends.
Well, they just gave him a week off. He pitched last Monday and then not again until this past Tuesday.Harry Hooper said:
Re-post from the game thread:
JimD said:
I suspect you just hit upon the two primary reasons he wasn't dealt - they didn't get any offers (or offers that were good enough), coupled with the desire to keep a fan favorite around.
Bob Montgomery's Helmet Hat said:Well, they just gave him a week off. He pitched last Monday and then not again until this past Tuesday.
I would think he realizes he's only hurting his chances for a decent payday everytime he goes out there and gets hammered. Might as well stop the bleeding now and rest.soxhop411 said:Like I said in the GDT. Both parties will need to agree to shut him down given he is a FA and not under contract with the team next year.
Most teams who shut a player down do it with a player under contract. Don't want to piss off the MLBPA
strek1 said:I would think he realizes he's only hurting his chances for a decent payday everytime he goes out there and gets hammered. Might as well stop the bleeding now and rest.
They could have traded Koji and kept Andrew Miller. I know he's a FA at the end of the year and will probably take multiple years, but he may be worth it. Perhaps he was determined to get paid and they knew that.Harry Hooper said:
If the FO truly believes they will have a contending club in 2015, having traded away Koji in July means going out and acquiring another closer this offseason. At that point your options are signing a "proven closer" to a Papelbon-style megadeal or something like a Bailey trade. Neither option is very attractive.
DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:I don't care if this is the inevitable end for Koji Uehara. While its painful to watch, he more than earned his contract last season when he wildly outperformed anyone's expectations. That said, maybe it is time for him to sit the rest of the season out.
Toe Nash said:They could have traded Koji and kept Andrew Miller. I know he's a FA at the end of the year and will probably take multiple years, but he may be worth it. Perhaps he was determined to get paid and they knew that.
The problem is that Koji needed to be very very good to justify getting a QO, and at his age that was a big risk no matter how good he had been up to the deadline. Additionally, his value was likely to never be higher. We don't know what they were offered so maybe it was minimal but that seems unlikely.
In the offseason, they could have taken the lesson that most other teams seem to be getting (and they should have learned themselves) about not needing a "proven closer" and being able to find great closers other ways, and just grabbed some solid arms and figure out who is "closer" in spring training. Considering the two proven closers they had last year got hurt or sucked.
Stitch01 said:100% sure teams would have loved to trade for Koji, that's much different from wanting to give a premium return, come on with this shit.
Perhaps some other team. But not the Orioles, who more than likely knew what we had in Koji and chose to stay away.glennhoffmania said:
Seriously. Teams wouldn't give up at least something similar to what they got for Miller?
Rob Bradford @bradfo 25s
Farrell says Koji moved out of closers spot temporarily. Says healthy and not shutting him down. Mujica will close
Seriously. Teams wouldn't give up at least something similar to what they got for Miller?
It usually ends badly for all closers, and most often well before the cusp of their fortieth birthdays. He might or might not be cooked, but even if he is, he's put together a very good run.Al Zarilla said:Maybe it ends badly with closers who don't have a heater, examples being Todd Jones, Keith Foulke and Koji. Maybe Sergio Romo now too. Todd Jones was realIy never much stat-wise though. I was amazed last year and earlier this year when Koji was getting everyone out without a fastball that broke 90. I know, see Greg Maddux, latter day Roy Halladay, Jered Weaver and others. So, [SIZE=13.63636302948px]recently, [/SIZE]Koji's lost the downward movement on the splitter, as well as ability to locate it, looks like to me. Double whammy.
No short sword. Good.soxhop411 said:
John Tomase @jtomase 40m
Koji told Masashi Yamazaki of the Tokyo Sports Press that he requested the team remove him from the closer's role b/c he wasn't performing.
https://twitter.com/jtomase/status/507995622998568960
Agreed. Koji is a classy guy. Not many guys would do that.Al Zarilla said:No short sword. Good.
Contract bargaining position seppuku though, right? Very honorable. I'm sure Farrell was proud to act as his second.Al Zarilla said:No short sword. Good.