Japan Rumors: Nishioka, Kobayashi
By Tim Dierkes | November 10, 2010 at 8:26am CDT
The Chiba Lotte Marines will not decide whether to post shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka until after Saturday's championship game, tweets Jason Coskrey of the Japan Times. Nishioka would prefer to play for the Dodgers if he's posted, reports Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Otherwise, he hopes to land with the Giants, Padres, or Diamondbacks. Of course, Nishioka can't control which team wins the bidding for the right to negotiate with him. The 26-year-old switch-hitter batted .346/.423/.482 this year, and was described as a Chone Figgins/Ryan Theriot type by Patrick Newman of FanGraphs. Hernandez says he'll be represented by Beverly Hills Sports Council if posted.
One Marines player is definitely heading to MLB, tweets Coskrey: free agent reliever Hiroyuki Kobayashi. The 32-year-old righty reliever posted a 2.21 ERA, 7.82 K/9, 2.07 BB/9, and 0.30 HR/9 in 61 innings this year. Kobayashi moved to the bullpen in 2010, reported Newman, so he brings versatility. He will be represented by Octagon, MLBTR has learned.
Arizona Diamondbacks Hiroyuki Kobayashi Los Angeles Dodgers San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Tsuyoshi Nishioka
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EdinsonPickle
I'm looking forward to seeing if Nishioka gets posted. If so we could have a few real nice additions to the Japanese players here in the US. Iwakuma, Nishioka, and Kobayashi.
55saveslives
Couple questions…
1. Are posting fees paid in lump sum? or can they be broken down into payments like a players contracts?
2. Anyone know how much these guys pay for themselves in merchandising with the Japanese fans that will come out? Ichiro and Matsui seemed to have a large following, but, what about Daisuke or Iwamura?
GasLampGuru
I'm pretty sure the posting fees are paid in lump sum. It amounts to the MLB team paying the Japanese team for the right to negotiate with the player (doesn't guarantee an agreement), so paying a posting fee in installments wouldn't seem to make too much sense.
I'd say the ability for a Japanese player to pay for himself in merchandising would depend on the team he lands with and his status in Japan. Daisuke was a star and was hyped for months before coming over, and landed with a team capable of maximizing his marketability, so I'd imagine his merchandising was off the charts. Same with Matsui. Iwamura landed with the Rays, who aren't exactly known for their marketing prowess, and wasn't viewed as a star at this level, so his merchandising was probably pretty lackluster.
That makes sense. I'd love for the Giants to bid on him. We need a SS and his market value in San Francisco should be pretty good. We have a decent Japanese resident pool plus high tourism.
suPaFreaK
Yeah it would be awesome if Nishioka were to come to the Giants. The reasoning for him picking the Dodgers is because LA has the highest amount of Japanese citizens in the US I think. But hey with that divorce happening maybe the Giants win the bid and actually get this guy.
It depressing to hear anything about upper level free agents and Dodgers in the same sentence. Mainly because we all know what the following sentence talks about the Divorce and how we won't get them.
Gumby65
Weird, but I think for some odd-ball reason McCourt is going to go on a guilt-ridden mini-spending spree… Back-loaded pacts based on future TV deals. Just a sneaky guess.
coachofall
I bet Seattle is living the fact that figgins and theriot are referred to as the same type of player when there will be about 10 mil difference in their respective salaries this year. If that contract didn't look bad before take a look now. Also why would a team pay a posting fee plus negotiating a contract with this guy when theriot can be had for close to nothing.
oleosmirf
there is a monumental difference between Ryan Theriot and Chone Figgins.
only on payday
Theriot .270 OBP .321 OPS 633 SB 21
Figgins .259 OBP .340 OPS 646 SB 42
Brian S
True based on one season, but your argument is using a typical Theriot season versus easily Figgins worst season which isn't a true picture of the player's values.
sorry buddy….not basing anything on ONE season. Only season that is out of place is the career year Figgins had before Free Agency…they are the same player and Seattle got hosed
Career Stats:
FIggins BA 287	OBP 359	OPS 736
Theriot	BA 284	OBP 348	OPS 704
well if you are going to eliminate a season for Figgins then also remove Theriot's 2008 season which really affects his career numbers.
There is nothing eliminated from the Career stats listed above. Those stats are every at bat each player has taken
I understand you're trying to lump them in as the same player, but you're still skewing the numbers a little. Theriot had a .934 OPS season as a rookie which throws off the career numbers a bit. Check out the yearly totals and he's generally a mid .600 OPS guy with good speed and mediocre defense at several positions. Figgins is generally a mid .700 OPS guy with great speed and is an excellent defensive third baseman and mediocre at several other positions. I'll buy that he's currently overpaid based on this past year in Seattle, but he's a superior player to Theriot. I don't think that there's many people who think they're the same player…..
The 934 OPS was in 134 AB's that isnt enough to skew anything. Again, I'm not saying Theriot is a better player than Figgins, What i'm saying is that there isnt a huge difference other than paycheck between the two. Again, back to the main point. If the Major league player that thsi guy most resembles is Figgins/Theriot I really don't want my team spending the posting fee plus negotiate a contract…..seems to be instantly overpaid
longtimepadrefan
Question: If a team wins the posting and signs a Japanese player, how long is the player under team control before arbitration/free agency?
Patrick OKennedy
Normally, the player is entering the league just like any other rookie, except he has two options. Either sign with the MLB club, or stay with his old club. He can negotiate just the same as a player drafted as an amateur, knowing that the club has already agreed to pay a large bonus (to his Japanese club) if he signs. He may demand a major league deal so he goes on the 40 man roster and can't be taken off without clearing waivers. He'll definitely demand a guaranteed contract. There can be incentives or triggers.
Unless otherwise stated, he has to have three years ( or be a super two) before being arbitration eligible, but he may have a guaranteed amount in his contract for those first few seasons anyway. He can't be a free agent until he has six years in the major leagues. But Hiroki Kuroda, for example, negotiated a clause that made him a free agent after three seasons, due to his advanced age and experience in Japan. Most others won't get that kind of a deal, especially if the MLB club is paying a huge amount up front for his rights.
Dylan Ramirez
I think its dependent on what kind of deal they sign with the team, I don't think arbitration factors in at all although I could be wrong. Somebody on the Padres boards is over in Japan and he said that the papers there are reporting that The Orioles and Padres both plan on making bids for Nishioka.
Hey! I saw that dude in a hot dog eating contest!
ThinkBlue10
wow, he wants to come play for the dodgers.
LA has a large Japanese population.
BrocNessMonster
Hollywood is attractive. And LA is almost the shortest flight home he'll find, besides SF and other left coast teams.
nzmrmn
The posting system is insane. It's like the old reserve clause. Why can't Japanese players negotiate on their own?
Daniel Bradley
Interestingly it's the same system used in European soccer. If a team wants to acquire a player, they have to pay a transfer fee to his current club for the rights to negotiate a contract with him. Free agency hardly ever comes into play. Of course, the difference is soccer players make quite a bit less than baseball players so the transfer fees don't seem quite as ridiculous.
padreshobo
If the Padres had money I would love for them to give it a shot. Definitely not sold on ECab at SS. I think I remember Akinori Otsuka recommending the Padres to Fukudome.
Did you forget that Theriot is an awful defensive player and that Figgins is a game changer on defense? Or that Theriot's numbers are declining, whereas Figgins is obviously a much better player than his career low 2010 season numbers?
Game changer is right! Figgins UZR rating was -13….one thing is for sure that will change a few games. Again, I respect your passion but the reality is that Figgins is an avg MI being paid like an elite. And again the point i was making is I wouldnt pay a posting fee for a player that is going to only give me Figgins/Theriot production
stovin
Iam Orioles fan and would love to see him in Baltimore. We need a SS. How does the bidding work?
CB, Brown, Brownie, Chrispy
My name is Kobayashi. I work for Keyser Soze.
marichal27
the doggies? you got to be kidding?
Not Yeti
If he's an above avg, SS, and his numbers seem to infer that, then I would love to see him in a Giants uni provided that the bidding price to sign him isn't utterly ridiculous. The Giants are in general, VERY tight with their cash and I don't see them fronting an exorbitant amount of dough for the rights to this guy. ( I would hope they've learned their lesson with the Zito and Rowand contracts!) And may I add, let him go to those losers in Blue if that's his preference! He might need to read up on teams that don't like each other before blurting out his wish-list! GO Giants – ジャイアンツ (Jaiantsu)
styrofoamdeity
Hello from Japan! My only concern would be his fielding skills on grass. The Chiba Lotte Marines play on an artificial surface, as do most Japanese teams. The grass at AT&T and other Major League stadiums is another story entirely. Kazuo Matsui (for example) was a slick fielder in Japan, but seemed lost on the grass in the bigs. The Giants should take a look at his fielding percentage on grass vs turf.
As far as the bat goes, probably a stud. But the Giants won the World Series with remarkable pitching and absolutely sick fielding up the middle…
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