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Masahiro Tanaka

Dodgers Notes: Kemp, Ethier, Tanaka, Uribe, Wright

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Matt Kemp may eventually get dealt this offseason, but it doesn't look like the Dodgers and Red Sox will reach an agreement involving the outfielder. We heard earlier this afternoon that Boston's talks for Kemp were unlikely to get serious, and Rob Bradford of WEEI.com backs that up, writing that there's "nothing to" the rumors of Boston's interest. Here's more on the Dodgers:

  • While Kemp probably won't be headed to the Red Sox, the Dodgers remain in discussions with four teams on trade possibilities involving him or Andre Ethier, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
  • The Dodgers will be interested in Masahiro Tanaka if and when he's posted, but that interest may be more lukewarm than exepected, says Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Shaikin hears from two sources familiar with the team's thinking that L.A. won't pursue Tanaka with the sort of "win-at-all-costs mentality" that marked the club's pursuit of Hyun-jin Ryu a year ago.
  • Having not heard back yet from free agent infielder Juan Uribe, the Dodgers are preparing to move on from him, reports Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. GM Ned Coletti indicated that the team could shift its focus to acquiring a third baseman via trade.
  • Jamey Wright is on the Dodgers' radar as a potential long man, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.

AL West Notes: Zduriencik, Walker, Andrus, Anderson

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Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik responded to this weekend's Seattle Times report pointing to dysfunction in the Mariners front office. The full response can be seen here, courtesy of MLB.com's Greg Johns. While it's too lengthy to post here in its entirety, Zduriencik was quick to dismiss many of the allegations, specifically refuting that former manager Eric Wedge had no interest in a contract extension. According to Zduriencik, Wedge asked for an extension multiple times and even demanded an extension the day before he quit. Here's more on Robinson Cano's new team…

  • Top prospect Taijuan Walker's name has come up recently in David Price trade rumors, but Jack Z told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that he expects Walker to be with the Mariners in 2014 (Twitter link).
  • The Rangers are still open to dealing Elvis Andrus even after trading Ian Kinsler, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, Rosenthal categorizes the chances as being a huge long shot, noting that Texas would need a significant return (Twitter links).
  • An executive that has shown interest in Athletics lefty Brett Anderson said that Brett Anderson is more of a "plan B" than "plan A" type of player (Twitter link). Sherman added in an appearance on the MLB Network that multiple teams are viewing Anderson in that light.
  • The Angels are still trying to figure out if there's a fit with the Diamondbacks as a trading partner, tweets Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. A report earlier today linked the D-Backs to Mark Trumbo.
  • Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets that the Rangers are considering a $20MM bid for Masahiro Tanaka (assuming he gets posted) but are wary of other teams trying to drive up the price on the contract.

Orioles Rumors: Ibanez, Ethier, Kemp, Roberts

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Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette confirmed to Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (on Twitter) that he has interest in Raul Ibanez and Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier, but says that he won't be in the mix for Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka or Kendrys Morales.  The O's will be out looking for a left-handed hitting left fielder or DH as well as pitching (link).  Here's more out of Baltimore..

  • The Orioles checked on the availability of Ethier and fellow Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, but there were issues with the amount of salary that the Dodgers were willing to absorb, an industry source told Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.
  • While he didn't shut the door on re-signing second baseman Brian Roberts, Duquette told reporters, including Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun, he is pleased with his options at the position, especially Ryan Flaherty.  
  • The O's will announce their signing of Ryan Webb today, but they're still in the hunt for a closer, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).  Webb agreed to a two-year, $4.5MM deal with Baltimore last week.

Rakuten Golden Eagles May Not Post Masahiro Tanaka

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SUNDAY: Tachibana is quoted by Jiji Press (in Japanese) as saying he will likely post Tanaka if the prize right-hander wants to play MLB (h/t Ben Badler of Baseball America).

SATURDAY: Rakuten is "really balking at the $20MM posting fee," tweets Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. A club executive indicated that the club plans to discuss the posting issue with Tanaka by next Tuesday, and says that "asking [Tanaka] to stick around will be the priority," according to a Yahoo! Japan article (in Japanese; quote via Newman).

THURSDAY: Rakuten Golden Eagles president Yozo Tachibana addressed the Japanese media today and indicated that the team may not necessarily post Masahiro Tanaka in light of the new posting system's $20MM maximum bid, according to a report from Sponichi (Japanese link). Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times elaborates in his most recent article and offers translated quotes from Tachibana.

"There's a possibility we won't take the next step," said Tachibana. As Newsday's David Lennon noted on Twitter today, the Golden Eagles may think that retaining Tanaka is more valuable than the $20MM maximum posting fee, which is a mere fraction of the $75MM+ posting fee that was rumored under the old system.

Hernandez notes that the Golden Eagles will be under "immense public pressure" to post Tanaka despite the new rules. That wouldn't guarantee anything, however. Tanaka failing to hit the market after this long, drawn out process would be a major impact to interested teams who are now dreaming of their increased chances to land the highly touted ace. The Yankees have been prioritizing Tanaka but would have to turn elsewhere to fill out a rotation in need of a significant boost.

Should Tanaka stay in Japan, the cases for Ervin Santana, Matt Garza and Ubaldo Jimenez would only be strengthened, as their primary competition would be off the market.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Choo, Cruz, Price, Kemp, Tanaka

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While the Yankees have already netted several of the offseason's top players, inking Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Hiroki Kuroda for a combined $299MM, Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal notes that the Bombers will again field a roster with age and injury concerns. Beltran, for example, will be paid $45MM for his age 37-39 seasons despite missing significant time in the past with knee problems. "They will just repeat the cycle,” one rival executive speaking with Rosenthal commented. “No young players ready, need to win now, blow everyone out of the water (financially) and hope in three years they have young talent.” Let's take a look at the rest of Rosenthal's excellent column:

  • Though the Red Sox have responded to the Yankees' spending spree with smaller deals for players such as Edward Mujica and Mike Napoli, Rosenthal writes that Boston holds a major advantage over the Yanks in scouting and player development, as the Ellsbury signing shows. While the Sox are unlikely to target Shin-Soo Choo, GM Ben Cherington may also have a surprise in the works, as Boston has considered trading for Matt Kemp and could also deal one of its starters.
  • Choo may receive a deal that's nearly as large as Ellsbury’s $153MM pact, some executives believe. The Rangers, Mariners, Tigers and Reds appear to be likely landing spots, though some officials tell Rosenthal that the Giants and Astros could also get involved.
  • Clubs that fail to land Choo will shift their attention to Nelson Cruz, who could also draw interest from the Orioles and Royals.
  • The Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Rangers and Mariners appear to be best-positioned among clubs looking to acquire David Price from the Rays. The Mariners in particular are expected to try and surround new acquisition Robinson Cano with impact talent in the early phase of his 10-year deal, when he'll be the most productive. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are indicating they're shifting their focus to player development, and are unlikely to offer up elite prospects like Corey Seager. While the Cardinals have the prospects to get Price, they've yet to indicate major interest in doing so.
  • To trade Kemp now would be selling low on the outfielder, who missed significant time in 2013 with injuries. However, if the Dodgers are willing to absorb some salary, Kemp will look attractive in comparison with 2015's weak class of free agent outfielders.
  • Some baseball sources tell Rosenthal that they think Rakuten Golden Eagles President Yozo Tachibana might follow through on a threat to not post Masahiro Tanaka. Tachibana is considered "something of a maverick" by MLB execs, and Tanaka's value is set to plummet for Rakuten under a posting system in which the maximum fee is $20MM, Rosenthal says.

NPB Officials Planning To Accept $20MM Maximum Posting Fee

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11:59pm: Negotiations continue on how things will play out when multiple teams submit the maximum $20MM posting fee, Sanspo reports. However, it's possible that the bidding for Tanaka could take place before the U.S. breaks for the Christmas holiday at the end of the month.

6:04pm: Under the latest proposal, while the maximum posting fee is $20MM, players appear to be free to sign with any team that ties for the highest bid, the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin tweets. If that's the case, Yahoo!'s Jeff Passan points out, it will make Tanaka a de facto free agent, and he will likely receive a large contract.

WEDNESDAY,4:51pm: According to a report from Japanese report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (on Twitter), the Rakuten Golden Eagles are the only NPB team to stand against the proposed changes.  The Golden Eagles, of course, are Masahiro Tanaka's team. 

3:57pm: According to a Sanspo report passed along by Newman, NPB officials are planning to accept the $20MM maximum bid and the new posting rules (Twitter link).

There are conflicting reports on how the team would be selected, as Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times wrote this week that the posted player would be allowed to select from the teams that tie for highest bid.

TUESDAY, 4:50pm: NPB officials are amenable to the idea of a maximum bid, but not the amount which MLB has proposed, according to a Japanese report passed on by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (Twitter link). Major League officials are trying to impose a $20MM limit.

12:35am: MLB negotiators' latest proposal for the posting system would establish a maximum bid and include a provision prioritizing teams with low records, Sponichi reports (Japanese link). Under the plan, multiple teams could submit the maximum bid for a player, with negotiating rights going to the club that had the lowest winning precentage that year. Nippon Professional Baseball was scheduled to discuss the proposal in a meeting with the 12 NPB teams on Tuesday.

Last month, the two sides nearly reached an agreement that would have seen the Japanese team paid a posting fee equal to the midpoint between the top two bids. However, this arrangement was ultimately rejected by MLB because of opposition by small-market teams, which insisted that the posting fee be counted against the luxury tax.

As the article notes, this new proposal and its maximum bid could encourage greater participation among small-market teams. A marquee name like Masahiro Tanaka is all but off-limits for low-revenue clubs under the current system, which can require teams to pay more than $50MM just to get to the negotiating table. Small-market owners are therefore likely to drop their luxury tax-related demands if a scheme that gives priority to lower-ranking teams is on offer, Sponichi reports. However, winning teams are certain to oppose the plan because it would greatly reduce their chances of securing negotiating rights. It's also unclear how the proposal would be received by the 12 Japanese teams, which would appear to gain little by agreeing to a system with a maximum bid.

No Agreement Yet Between MLB, NPB On Posting System

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4:35pm: Today's meetings ended without an agreement on a new posting system, and the two sides are likely to take a break until after Thanksgiving, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 12:56pm: Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports tweets that MLB and NPB officials are meeting today to discuss the new posting system. Baseball America's Ben Badler adds that teams are operating under the assumption that an agreement will be reached, and Tanaka will be available (Twitter link). Badler feels some news will be announced in the near future.

SUNDAY: Japanese baseball officials will visit New York this week to negotiate a new posting system, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes. A new posting system would free star Rakuten Golden Eagles pitcher Masahiro Tanaka to sign with a Major League team. Heyman also notes that, if Tanaka were to sign with a big-league team, other starters might begin to sign as well. While the market for position players has been very active (with Brian McCann and Jhonny Peralta having agreed to large new contracts in the past week), the market for starting pitchers has been relatively quiet.

The Yankees, Dodgers and Cubs, among other teams, are expected to show interest in Tanaka, Heyman notes. But the next step has to be agreement on a new posting system. While Heyman notes that officials have "renewed hope" for an agreement, Golden Eagles president Yozo Tachibana recently told the Japan News that he thinks an agreement might not be reached until mid-December. Here's more on negotiations regarding the posting system.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

MLB, NPB Re-Opening Posting System Talks

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NOVEMBER 19: Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball will restart talks about a new posting system as early as today, according to a Japan Times report.  NPB negotiators hope to reach a new agreement "somewhat resembling the existing one."

NOVEMBER 14, 5:18pm: The posting arrangement isn't in jeopardy of falling apart, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports (all Twitter links).  The issue amongst the owners was that some small-market owners wished for posting fees to be counted against the luxury tax.  This couldn't happen, however, unless the collective bargaining agreement was changed, and the MLBPA informed the owners that they weren't going to re-open the CBA.

12:07pm: Major League Baseball COO Rob Manfred spoke to reporters today, including Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger, and said that MLB plans to amend its proposal for changes to the posting system after Nippon Professional Baseball took too long to inform MLB of a decision (Twitter link).

Manfred's comments come shortly after NPB Union executive director Toru Matsubara told the Japan Times that NPB has approved the proposed changes to the system in what was an "agonizing decision." Said Matsubara: "There was not enough time on our side and we haven’t got any more bargaining power than this. It was an agonizing decision (accepting the revisions)." However, as Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times points out (on Twitter), the lengthy delays might make NPB's decision a moot point.

Meanwhile, one owner told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that there are "serious reservations" regarding the posting system, and an agreement may not be reached at all. Should that be the case, coveted ace Masahiro Tanaka wouldn't be available to Major League teams this offseason at all (Twitter link). Newsday's David Lennon agrees (on Twitter), noting that MLB's new hard-line stance could pose a threat to Tanaka's ability to jump to the Majors.

According to the Japan Times report, the system that Matsubara reluctantly agreed to would have awarded the top bidding team exclusive negotiation rights with the posted player. However, the posting fee would have been reduced to an average of the top two bids, and MLB teams that weren't able to work out a deal with the posted player would be subject to a fine.

Yankees Notes: Cano, Tanaka, A-Rod, Ibanez

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Jay Z may claim that he "made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can," but the rap icon's high profile won't play any part in what the Yankees offer his Roc Nation Sports client Robinson Cano, Dan Martin of the New York Post reports.  “The New York Yankees value Robinson as a great baseball player and appreciate his value on the field.  But any value that’s added with Jay Z isn’t added to the equation,” a source tells Martin.  Here's the latest news from the Bronx…

  • Cano's original 10-year, $310MM demands haven't changed, ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand reports.  Cano and his representatives are supposed to meet this week, with Marchand saying that the Yankees are looking for a deal in the $190-$210MM range for the star second baseman.  Earlier reports suggested that Cano's demands had changed, and I would imagine his number will lower simply because no other team could (or would) come close to that $300MM mark.
  • Also from Marchand, he hears from a source that the MLB/NPB dispute over the posting system will be settled and Masahiro Tanaka will be posted before the end of December.
  • Alex Rodriguez's drawn-out suspension appeal and the possibility that his salary could come off the Yankees' books for 2014 will likely delay the free agent market.  "A-Rod could slow everything down," a baseball official told Marchard. "Players always want the Yankees involved and the threat of them having extra money is leverage they probably will want to use."
  • The Yankees, meanwhile, are hoping to get Rodriguez's situation resolved as soon as possible.  Ken Davidoff of the New York Post outlines the latest in the A-Rod appeal hearings, which resumed today.
  • The Yankees are interested in bringing back Raul Ibanez to serve as the designated hitter against righty pitchers, according to George A. King III and Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.  Ibanez played for the Yankees in 2012 and "grew impatient waiting" for a contract offer last winter, eventually signing with the Mariners.  Some in the Yankee organization believe it was a mistake letting Ibanez leave, particularly since he enjoyed a 29-homer season in Seattle.
  • Jhonny Peralta has been rumored to be a Yankee target but signing him could be difficult given the uncertainty with A-Rod and Derek Jeter's continuing presence at shortstop, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News writes.  “They’re going to have trouble getting a legit shortstop to go there until it’s over with Jeter,” a player agent tells Martino.  The Bronx Bombers reached an agreement with Brendan Ryan earlier today, but Ryan projects as a backup while Peralta can find a clear starting job elsewhere.
  • Also from Martino, the Yankees' interest in Peralta is bad news for the Mets, as it remains to be seen if they can afford a bidding war for Peralta's services with the Yankees or any other free-spending team.
  • Carlos Ruiz could have been of interest to the Yankees, but with the Phillies catcher now off of the market, they've set their sights higher and are zeroing in on Brian McCann, Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger writes.  “He’s made for New York,” one rival executive said of McCann. “This guy is as mentally tough as it gets.”

MLBTR's Zach Links also contributed to this post

Quick Hits: Tigers, Napoli, Rangers, Rays

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An interesting study by Conor Glassey for his website examines which states big leaguers in the past five years were drafted from. As expected, the warm-weather states of California, Florida and Texas dominate the rankings, together accounting for more than 40 percent of drafted players. However, Illinois high schools were found to be surprisingly productive in developing future big leaguers. Let's round up the latest from around baseball:

  • Buster Olney runs through Max Scherzer rumors in a video for ESPN, concluding that he will "almost certainly not be" traded this winter. The Tigers are in full win-now mode, and other teams are unlikely to surrender major talent for this year's AL Cy Young winner, as he's not expected to sign a long-term extension with Scott Boras as his agent. Scherzer, who's on track to hit free agency after next season, is projected to earn $13.6MM in his final season of arbitration by MLBTR's Matt Swartz.
  • Rick Porcello is "expected" to be traded, Olney says in the same video.
  • The avascular necrosis in Mike Napoli's hips has come up in discussions with some clubs, agent Brian Grieper said in an interview with WEEI, but other teams don't consider it an issue. WEEI's Alex Speier notes that Grieper opted not to disclose whether the first baseman had received a multi-year offer yet.
  • T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com becomes the latest writer to report that Masahiro Tanaka isn't a top target for the Rangers. Offense is more of a priority for Texas this winter, Sullivan writes.
  • Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times previews the Rays' potential targets in trade and free agency this offseason. At first base, the Mets' Ike Davis might be an option, along with Logan Morrison of the Marlins, Mitch Moreland of the Rangers, and another Met, Lucas Duda. In free agency, the Rays could attempt to court Corey Hart, Lyle Overbay or Justin Morneau. Topkin also examines possibilities at catcher and closer.
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