Rosenthal: Tanaka to Yankees

[Jose Abreu]

Ok people I was joking calm down

[BlackSox13]

Some interesting tidbits here...

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/chicago_white_sox/index.html

 

"Let's round up the day's rumblings on Masahiro Tanaka, who will have chosen his new club by this time next week:

 

Both Chicago organizations are real contenders for Tanaka, Dan Martin and Ken Davidoff of the New York Post wrote yesterday. An industry source says that the Cubs and White Sox have serious interest in the Japanese ace. Seven teams met with Tanaka during his trip to the U.S., the pair notes, though the Sox are the only ones to have publicly acknowledged a face-to-face.

Those meetings have not yet resulted in feedback, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com (via Twitter). Teams had around an hour to pitch Tanaka, but have not heard back. "Nobody knows where they stand," says Sanchez.

The Cubs have withheld cash thus far in order to keep a sufficient war chest to make a real run at Tanaka, says Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. But with a "debt-strung, skittish-to-spend ownership," in Wittenmyer's words, the club may not be a real player in the sweepstakes.

The Dodgers are actively involved in talks with Tanaka, reports Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. This report confirms what many had suspected (and the front office had indicated): the club will not be precluded from another massive investment after extending Clayton Kershaw. As Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com further reports, GM Ned Colletti has had discussions with Tanaka's reps at Excel Sports Management all week long. "We're still, first and foremost, concerned with the quality of the team we can put together, and adding it up comes second," said president Stan Kasten. "This is a long-term strategy of ours. After five or six or seven years, it will make a lot more sense than it does to people looking at today's snapshot."

For his part, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick is not so sure that Los Angeles will go all out for Tanaka, though it is interested if he values the chance to play on the West Coast and is "willing to make his decision on factors other than total financial package." But with interest that has been only "lukewarm at best," says Gurnick, the Dodgers would probably not look to win a bidding war absent intervention from the ownership group. A Hanley Ramirez extension is, in Gurnick's estimation, a higher priority for the L.A. brass."

 

 

 

 

 

One thing to consider about Chicago is they must have a respectable level in the Japanese community since there is a Mitsuwa Japanese Market Place in Arlington Heights and there's only 4 of these grocery stores throughout the US. Didn't Iguchi live in Schaumburg while playing with Sox?

Point is, Tanaka doesnt have to live in Chicago, he can stay in the burbs like Arlington heights, Schaumburg and Elk Grove where there are Japanese communities and a stones throw from the Mitsuwa market place.

Edited January 18, 2014 by StRoostifer

[Soxbadger]

If there was ever a time to over pay it would be for a young potential international superstar while denying your in city rival.

 

 

[Balta1701]

If there was ever a time to over pay it would be for a young potential international superstar while denying your in city rival.

Why? we play them what, 3 games a year?

[Jose Abreu]

Why? we play them what, 3 games a year?

4-6

[Dick Allen]

Why? we play them what, 3 games a year?

The star is dimming on Theo. This, if it worked out, would be a huge blow to them and quite a large feather in the White Sox cap. It also would probably cost the Cubs some money in their upcomindpg broadcast negotiations.

[Balta1701]

The star is dimming on Theo. This, if it worked out, would be a huge blow to them and quite a large feather in the White Sox cap. It also would probably cost the Cubs some money in their upcomindpg broadcast negotiations.

Wow. Who cares?

[Quin]

Why? we play them what, 3 games a year?

 

Steal some fanbase.

[Kyyle23]

Why? we play them what, 3 games a year?

 

I don't think the goal is to win more games vs the rival as much as it is to steal the casual fan away when the rival is in a downswing. If the Sox get Tanaka and have a competitive summer, it could make a nice difference in ticket sales if the Cubs are struggling to not lose 100 games

[Soxbadger]

Wow. Who cares?

 

Thats like saying why would McDonalds care if there is a BK across the street.

 

There is a limited market of baseball fans in Chicago. Any acquisition that can tip fair weather fans from being "Cub" fans to "Sox" fans is a huge deal. With the decline of the Cubs, the Sox could easily make huge headway in the city.

 

More fans= more money.

 

Its not like the Sox are selling out, they need better attendance.

[ptatc]

If there was ever a time to over pay it would be for a young potential international superstar while denying your in city rival.

I would say if there is ever a time it would be with a proven MLB pitcher such as the LA did with Kershaw. I would take a chance with Tanaka but it's not my first choice.

[Soxbadger]

I would say if there is ever a time it would be with a proven MLB pitcher such as the LA did with Kershaw. I would take a chance with Tanaka but it's not my first choice.

 

Kershaw isnt a realistic option. Not many times do 25 year old Cy Young winners hit FA. And Im not sure if its overpaying when they are arguably proven to be the best.

[ptatc]

Thats like saying why would McDonalds care if there is a BK across the street.

 

There is a limited market of baseball fans in Chicago. Any acquisition that can tip fair weather fans from being "Cub" fans to "Sox" fans is a huge deal. With the decline of the Cubs, the Sox could easily make huge headway in the city.

 

More fans= more money.

 

Its not like the Sox are selling out, they need better attendance.

This is an under rated idea that many fans don't get. The sox don't want to beat the Cubs in players or headlines because of the on field competition. It's because of the competition for fans and fan dollars. The Cubs are starting to lose fans and the Sox need to convert them before the Cubs start winning and bring them back.

[ptatc]

Kershaw isnt a realistic option. Not many times do 25 year old Cy Young winners hit FA. And Im not sure if its overpaying when they are arguably proven to be the best.

That was just an example. These types are realistic as when Sabathia, Maddux or other Cy Young types come up. My comment was based more on the "if there was ever a time to do it" comment. This to me would be a proven MLB players as opposed to a player who is a mystery to the MLB. He could be Darvish, he could be Irabu. All had the reputation of one of the best in Japan when they came to the MLB.

[Soxbadger]

That was just an example. These types are realistic as when Sabathia, Maddux or other Cy Young types come up. My comment was based more on the "if there was ever a time to do it" comment. This to me would be a proven MLB players as opposed to a player who is a mystery to the MLB. He could be Darvish, he could be Irabu. All had the reputation of one of the best in Japan when they came to the MLB.

 

true, I more just meant that the stars are aligned for this to possibly happen, that some big name teams may be out and if its Cubs v Sox at the end, then you may want to overpay to beat them.

[ptatc]

true, I more just meant that the stars are aligned for this to possibly happen, that some big name teams may be out and if its Cubs v Sox at the end, then you may want to overpay to beat them.

I agree. As I said I think he is worth a chance especially given the Sox situation. I'm hesitant with any pitcher for more than 4 years but if they think he is that special you roll the dice.

[BlackSox13]

The cross town rival should never be the motivation. Put a competitive team on the field and fans will begin to show up, win some games and more fans will show up, so on and so on. Prove to the fans the team is a legit contender and they will come out to watch regardless of what the other team is doing.

[Balta1701]

Thats like saying why would McDonalds care if there is a BK across the street.

 

There is a limited market of baseball fans in Chicago. Any acquisition that can tip fair weather fans from being "Cub" fans to "Sox" fans is a huge deal. With the decline of the Cubs, the Sox could easily make huge headway in the city.

 

More fans= more money.

 

Its not like the Sox are selling out, they need better attendance.

The problem with this is that it really doesn't square with history.

 

In 2006, there were 6.1 million tickets sold between the 2 teams. In 2013, there were 4.4 million tickets sold.

 

Yeah the economy has changed slightly, but that tells me "There is a much larger market of baseball fans in Chicago that could be motivated if either team was good, and no one should waste their time worrying about the other team as much as getting the now disinterested people back into the seats".

[ptatc]

The cross town rival should never be the motivation. Put a competitive team on the field and fans will begin to show up, win some games and more fans will show up, so on and so on. Prove to the fans the team is a legit contender and they will come out to watch regardless of what the other team is doing.

I disagree, a little. Most of the time if both teams are good or both a bad this is true. However, with the losing and complaints of the Cub fans in the past year, I think the season tickets are significantly down, it's a good time to "steal" some fans. This can only help the Sox for budget reasons.

[Soxbadger]

The problem with this is that it really doesn't square with history.

 

In 2006, there were 6.1 million tickets sold between the 2 teams. In 2013, there were 4.4 million tickets sold.

 

Yeah the economy has changed slightly, but that tells me "There is a much larger market of baseball fans in Chicago that could be motivated if either team was good, and no one should waste their time worrying about the other team as much as getting the now disinterested people back into the seats".

 

 

????

 

Those disinterested fans are free agents, whats more likely to draw them in as a Sox fan:

 

Sox sign big name FA pitcher

 

Cubs sign big name FA pitcher

 

Once again the Mcondalds-BK comparison.

 

There are 100 hungry people if McDondalds has a new exciting deal and BK does not, who do you think gets more of the undecided hungry people?

[Soxbadger]

I disagree, a little. Most of the time if both teams are good or both a bad this is true. However, with the losing and complaints of the Cub fans in the past year, I think the season tickets are significantly down, it's a good time to "steal" some fans. This can only help the Sox for budget reasons.

 

 

Yup, there has never been a time in my life where there has been as much "disinterest" in the Cubs, and you can see Wrigley from my window. Most of my non-baseball friends prefer the Cell and going to White Sox games. With 2 young flashy international free agent signings and an exciting team the Sox could make a run at trying to take this town.

[Balta1701]

????

 

Those disinterested fans are free agents, whats more likely to draw them in as a Sox fan:

 

Sox sign big name FA pitcher

 

Cubs sign big name FA pitcher

 

Once again the Mcondalds-BK comparison.

 

There are 100 hungry people if McDondalds has a new exciting deal and BK does not, who do you think gets more of the undecided hungry people?

Which one of them is not poisoning people at the time? Put a winning team on the field and stop caring about the opposite one.

 

Note that you're not quoting a single number here. You're stating platitudes based on how you think people will respond with no obvious evidence that it has happened at any time recently. When both teams were better...both teams drew a lot better.

[The Ultimate Champion]

The Sox should always try to do what's best for themselves but yeah, there are a lot of fair-weather fans, young fans who may tend to gravitate to the team with greater start power (they will grow up), and there's no reason not to explore some sort of attendance spike/trendy thing to help you offset some of the costs while you're rebuilding. The Cubs probably would have a few fans go our way should the Sox do very well while the Cubs just continue to suck, but overall I would agree with Balta, the focus should be on attracting disinterested fans & fans who just go to a game for the experience.

 

The Cubs were nice and trendy, the Sox should try to do the same. Personally I'm too busy to go the games all the time, I like being a fan from home, and so I don't care if the people at the park know a lot less than I do about the team when I am there, I'd much rather the stadium be packed with trendy Cub-type fans who will support a better team with a higher payroll that I can be happy about all the time. So getting back to the original topic (dicks and ballsacs) I'd say that the typical WSI-style Sox fan baseball elitism is kind of small-dickish and I'd have no problem with taking advantage of a potential opportunity and swapping places with the Cubs.

[BlackSox13]

I disagree, a little. Most of the time if both teams are good or both a bad this is true. However, with the losing and complaints of the Cub fans in the past year, I think the season tickets are significantly down, it's a good time to "steal" some fans. This can only help the Sox for budget reasons.

I see what you mean. I just feel the Sox really just need to focus on the Sox and winning ballgames and the cub fans that can be swayed will naturally gravitate towards watching a winner on the south side. By all means if we can swoop in and crush cub fans dreams by signing Tanaka that's just a cherry on the cake, but the important thing is Tanaka's potential to help bring a winner to the south side. All else will fall into place.

[Soxbadger]

How can I provide statistics of an event that hasnt happened?

 

I can provide statistics that Cubs attendance is down,

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/...n-last-15-years

 

The Cubs have lost an average of 8,118 fans a game in the past five seasons. Given that the average ticket price is $44.55 (not including the club seats), that's a big drop in revenue.

 

I dont care about the Cubs, I care about the White Sox. The White Sox are also getting killed on season ticket renewals, what would help for many of those people is beating the Cubs at signing a big name player.

 

You can say what you want, but I know Cubs and Sox season ticket holders, this could be potentially a big deal for either franchise.

 

Thats not to say if the Cubs got Tanaka and the Sox won the next 10 world series that it would matter, but it could give them a slight advantage at the right moment that could lead to a much bigger one in the future.

 

Business is sometimes about seeing all of the pieces and how the fit together, not for just today, but for 20 years from now and trying to turn the tables on the Cubs dominance. When they were owned by the Tribune it was impossible, now its not.