Signing(s): Yoshinobu Yamamoto signs with the Dodgers (12 years, $325 million)

[MVP of West Hollywd]

Even a first two years Daisuke level pitcher could be enough for them to win the WS, but seems like a lot lol. Same contract as Cole who was the definition of a guaranteed ace?

 

[These Are The Days]

I think I might be done with baseball. This has gone beyond ridiculous.

 

[Blitzkrug]

There's always an exception just like TB seems to do just fine with no payroll. However tell that to KC, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Colorado those teams stand no chance at all before season starts. I mean sure they could build like Cleveland and Miami seem to but everything needs to go right for them just to be competitive. They just can't mask their mistakes or lack of player development with free agency like I'm taking guess here the top 10-15 teams sign all the talent in free agency?

Colorado doesn't really belong on that list. They're generally in the 14-17 range for total payroll and as of right now they're 15 with a bunch of arbitration stuff to sort through.

The Rockies will spend money, just in about the dumbest ways imaginable. As evidenced by the fact they gave Nolan Arenado a totally justified 8/265, traded him on top of 50 million to the Cardinals so they could go out and give Kris Bryant money to get hurt.

Or giving Ian Desmond, a guy who generally played 2B/SS after a breakout year in Texas at age 31 5/70...to play first base.

 

[TheBeard]

i can't think of a single instance in recent memory where an A's star homegrown talent wanted out of oakland

Wanting out and convincing them to stay are two very different things.

 

[Neutrinos]

The Dodgers have committed over a billion dollars to 2 baseball players... both of whom are Japanese

How about spending some of those hundreds of millions on American-born players?

USA! USA! USA!

 

[Blitzkrug]

Maybe the American players should try being better than the Japanese players first.

 

[Terry Yake]

Wanting out and convincing them to stay are two very different things.

how can you convince anyone to stay when you're not willing to pay them what they're worth and there's a teardown every few years?

 

[Unholy Diver]

There's always an exception just like TB seems to do just fine with no payroll. However tell that to KC, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Colorado those teams stand no chance at all before season starts. I mean sure they could build like Cleveland and Miami seem to but everything needs to go right for them just to be competitive. They just can't mask their mistakes or lack of player development with free agency like I'm taking guess here the top 10-15 teams sign all the talent in free agency?

The Royals have been to two and won one WS in the past 10 yrs, both more than the Yankees, and the same amount of WS wins and just one fewer appearance than the Dodgers

 

[82Ninety42011]

The Royals have been to two and won one WS in the past 10 yrs, both more than the Yankees, and the same amount of WS wins and just one fewer appearance than the Dodgers

Yes they have and highly doubt they do it again anytime soon. Sure any team can suck and stock pile top picks or just be really good with developing their players. However keeping those players when they hit their free agency window they don't have a chance keeping them unless they buy in super early in players career or if player takes a discount. System sucks in my opinion but others seem to think it's fine I guess.

 

[Cas]

There's always an exception just like TB seems to do just fine with no payroll. However tell that to KC, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Colorado those teams stand no chance at all before season starts. I mean sure they could build like Cleveland and Miami seem to but everything needs to go right for them just to be competitive. They just can't mask their mistakes or lack of player development with free agency like I'm taking guess here the top 10-15 teams sign all the talent in free agency?

Kansas City went to back to back World Series and won one of them just a few years ago, under the same financial paradigm.

 

[EpochLink]

At one point in time, the Oakland A’s had the highest payroll in the league.

 

[Neutrinos]

Best line I've heard about the Ohtani signing was...

"Oakland reportedly offered Ohtani 1 million per season for 700 years"

 

[Terry Yake]

At one point in time, the Oakland A’s had the highest payroll in the league.

that was 1991. their payroll that season was $33 mil. the sad part is that it was still more than their 2022 payroll

 

[TheGreenTBer]

that was 1991. their payroll that season was $33 mil. the sad part is that it was still more than their 2022 payroll

And after inflation the 1991 payroll destroys the 2022.

Sad to watch the literal death of a franchise in the name of corporate greed.

 

[Neutrinos]

Maybe the American players should try being better than the Japanese players first.

Better? We should all be striving for equality...

 

[John Price]

In Japan he pitched every week now he has to pitch every 5 days. Also dealing with a different style of ball.

Have no doubt he'll succeed in this league though but it's a lot tougher than NPB

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Better? We should all be striving for equality...

No we shouldn't. Equality is for losers. Either earn it or don't. This isn't like school enrollment or something, this is grownups playing a game for money.

 

[Vamos Rafa]

In Japan he pitched every week now he has to pitch every 5 days. Also dealing with a different style of ball.

Have no doubt he'll succeed in this league though but it's a lot tougher than NPB

Is his hype on the level of Daiskuke and Darvish? Daisuke never panned out. Hoping Yamamoto won’t end up like him.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Is his hype on the level of Daiskuke and Darvish? Daisuke never panned out. Hoping Yamamoto won’t end up like him.

I'd argue bigger. Daiskuke and Darvish were great players in Japan but Yamamoto's dominance is on a whole different level.

- 3x Sawamura award winner (Japanese Cy Young award),
- First pitcher since the 50s to win 3 consecutive
- first player to win 3 pitching triple crowns in NPB. No one has ever won more than 1
- 2x Pacific League ERA champion
- microscopic career ERA of 1.72. Last 3 seasons he posted ERAs of 1.39, 1.68 and 1.16.
- 2x Pacific League MVP (basically the same as AL/NL MVP)

In what little exposure we got of him in the WBC, he made one start and one relief appearance in the WBC, earning a win and posting a 2.45 ERA in 7 ⅓ innings. with a WHIP of 0.82 and opposing batter average of .167

There's a reason teams were willing to go to 300 million and up to acquire him. Some scouts/exec have said Yamamoto might be the best pure pitcher on earth right now. That's how hyped he is.

 

[John Price]