Comments on: Hot slow news day rumor mongering: Ichiro gone after 2007

By: DMZ

DMZ — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 23:00:17 +0000

YAYYYYY DEANNA!!!

By: Deanna

Deanna — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 22:57:54 +0000

Am I really the only person who reads USSM who can read Japanese? Ichiro Articles on Sankei Sports And this is the article that Gary was referring to: Ichiro says he will change teams via free agency after this season is over - "For my own good" I only skimmed the article, I'll try to read it more carefully in a bit.

By: Jim Thomsen

Jim Thomsen — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 22:56:46 +0000

I wonder if a serious in-depth study has been done on the likelihood of Ichiro retaining his current value over the next several years. It seems difficult to project because his skills are so speed-dependent, and there’s no reliable way of predicting when Ichiro’s speed will go. It’s slipped a little from 2001, of course, but isn’t at the point where it’s a liability (at least in my opinion). But there doesn’t seem to be a steady rate of decline so far that I can see, and therefore there doesn’t seem to be a PREDICTABLE rate of decline.

So I’m not sure that we should operate from the assumption that any four- or five-year deal for Ichiro absolutely won’t be worth it. Sure, he’ll be overpaid like everybody else, but Ichiro is such a historica anomaly that I don’t know how anybody can state with any confidence that he’d be a definite liability by the end of such a contract period.

Everything else being equal, I personally would take that gamble. Because, as has been pointed out ad nauseum at other times, Ichiro’s value to Seattle far transcends his field performance. And if that field performance is still pretty good …. then something like four years and $60 million could be a Seattle-only bargain. (Don’t forget that Ichiro’s value here is far different than it would be in New York and Boston.)

By: Mariner Fan in CO Exile

Mariner Fan in CO Exile — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 22:54:24 +0000

#22 – I could see Ichiro going to a market that hasn’t had a huge-name Japanese player yet. I wouldn’t even put Boston in the hunt, as Matsuzaka made it pretty clear he didn’t want the Ichiro spotlight in his sphere of influence. Maybe by end of next season that’s no big deal to Matsuzaka, but with Boston’s investment in him (and his importance to that rotation), I guess they do very little to piss him off.

By: jaysbaseballfan

jaysbaseballfan — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 22:48:32 +0000

Abreu is done with the Yankees after this offseasn. I can see Ichiro in pinstripes. He wants to win, and they’ll throw the money at him. Is he there style though? I mean, he’s not a homerun hitter.

By: MarinerDan

MarinerDan — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 22:47:06 +0000

If this is true, maybe the ownership group will be so pissed that Bavasi et al. have let the club reach the point where even their golden boy wants out that they will finally wake up and can the current administration.

As to whether Ichiro is worth a long-term commitment beyond 2007, I’m not sure that he is. That being said, I would still like the M’s to sign him.

By: Mariner Fan in CO Exile

Mariner Fan in CO Exile — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 22:41:45 +0000

I am one of Ichrio’s biggest fans, and have argued, even against the likes of our own Dave, about his value relative to other players past and present. I also think we’ll see him being productive many years into the future.

That said, he won’t be worth a big 5 or 6 year deal after 2007, and that’s what he’ll likely demand and get. Plus, there’s little chance we’ll give him a contending team that isn’t full of swiss cheese holes.

Short of backing into a World Series (or just dominating the AL this year – yeah right) I can’t imagine why he’d stick around, rumor or no rumor.

If we are in it late in the year (and our attempts to sign a contract extension have failed), I say we stick it out, and expect the departure. If we are out of it, I think we get something of value for him while we can. I hate to think that way, but the FO only does more damage to the team to participate in some long drawn-out off-season process that results in Ichiro not coming and us passing on other options while we wait.

I think we assume he gets a hefty contract whereever he goes, throw our best offer at him before anyone else can, and if he won’t go for the extension during the season or agree to terms shortly after it ends, then we should take the hint and not do another Alex Rodriguez drama play over it.

By: Jim Thomsen

Jim Thomsen — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 22:36:02 +0000

I think there’s very little chance Ichiro returns after this season. He’s not represented by Scott Boras; there’s every chance in the world that his concerns run higher than the materialistic. Seattle is a franchise that insists on going nowhere; there’s no reason he should insist on wasting the last few years of his greatness on a team hell-bent on not rewarding it.

And that insistence on driving Ichiro away will be Bill Bavasi’s enduring legacy in baseball, I suspect. Bavasi will never again get a job in baseball of any great responsibility for that reason, in my opinion.

I wouldn’t automatically assume that Ichiro will wind up in Boston or New York, however. One of the Southern California teams may be a better fit by 2008.

By: msb

msb — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 22:18:47 +0000

don’t suppose we could wait until he actually leaves to panic …

By: scott47a

scott47a — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 22:18:34 +0000

This has been coming for a long time.
I hope he does go and win a championship somewhere else. The guy deserves it.
Maybe we’ll get lucky and Matsui will get hurt again and the Yankees will be desperate to add an outfielder. That seems like the only likely chance that Ichiro will bring much as a rent-a-player.
Also, and I don’t like saying this, he’s infinitely more valuable now than he is in July. Does anyone think they will trade him before opening day? Does Bavasi have the guts?