Takahashi to Whore Himself

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Takahashi switches agents

Takahashi switches agents By Adam Rubin With four days until the Sunday deadline when Hisanori Takahashi is due to become a free agent, the left-hander has switched agents, an indication he may be ready to shop his services. Takahashi has signed up with Arn Tellem, who has represented several Japanese players, including Hideki Matsui. Takahashi formerly was represented by New York-based Peter and Ed Greenberg, who have a strong working relationship with the Mets and who also represent Johan Santana and Jose Reyes. When Takahashi signed a minor-league deal with the Mets in February, the organization agreed to make him a free agent on Oct. 31 if he was unsigned to an extension. If Takahashi is cut loose on Sunday per that obligation, he would be prohibited from re-signing with the Mets and appearing in the majors before May 15. So, in essence, assuming Takahashi is cut loose, he is highly unlikely to return. Takahashi's versatility as a reliever and starter could be particularly valuable. The Mets already could lose the other left-hander in the bullpen, Pedro Feliciano, as a free agent. Newsday tweeted about the agent switch Wednesday.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The Mets switched representatives also.

I'm glad Alderson is on board, because I'd be moving over-aggressively on Tak.

[Guest attgig]

seems like "whoring himself" is a bit extreme there...

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yeah, sure, but I needed a good thread title.

I'm mad that I wrote "Himself" rather than "Self" in the title. I think it would have read better.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Who names their baby 'Arn'?

--Proud father of a girl named "Artie"

[metirish]

Takahasi has assimilated quite well to America I see .

[soupcan]

There's lotsa whores in Japan too.

[Guest attgig]

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/11506/deadline-extension-for-takahashi-in-works

[Benjamin Grimm]

I do hope he comes back.

[ashie62]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I do hope he comes back.

I do also but he aint comin cheap.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Well, not the same sort of cheap that he was last year. But if his price climbs above, say, 3-4 million? Vaya con Arn, Hisa.

[ashie62]

Mets extend the window to sign Takahashi for an extra week.

http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2010/10/mets_extend_negotiating_window.html

[Frayed Knot]

Considering that the deadline was just a made-up date in the first place it makes sense for Takahashi's peeps to extend it and not shut out the only team on this side of the Pacific that knows him first hand.
He might still walk away but, with the front office shuffle going on, this at least gives everyone a non-rushed chance.

[duan]

y'know what,
here's where we can actually start our tracking of the alderson era.
what would you offer takahashi (worthy of a separate Alderson tracker thread maybe).
I still remember how far off base I was with Edgardo Alfonso whom I thought should have been offered Jorge Posasda money (50 or so mill for 5 years if i remember correctly) when the Giants managed to sign him for 30something for 4 years.

Steve Phillips was right, I was wrong.

So with Takahashi i'd offer up this.

3.5 million this year, with a 2.5 million player option/4.5 million team option for 2012.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Any deal he gets is probably going to have incentives about starts, relief appearance, games finished, or whatnot.

[ashie62]

Lets open up a big can of whatnot.

[Centerfield]

I'd be hard-pressed to go beyond one year for Takahashi. Maybe two (or some sort of vesting option for two) under the right circumstances (meaning cheaper than he will probably come).

Three years is insane.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

1 year-- with some tidy, relief-targeted performance/award bonuses-- and a moderately-priced vest.

[metirish]

He'd be a fool to not check what's out there for him right? , of course that would mean leaving the Mets but he's not young and this is his shot at a pay day.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I predict that he goes elsewhere in 2011. Unless Tak's stock rose because he's being projected as one of the Mets' secret weapons to reduce the number of games K-Rod might finish.

[Ceetar]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: I predict that he goes elsewhere in 2011. Unless Tak's stock rose because he's being projected as one of the Mets' secret weapons to reduce the number of games K-Rod might finish.

I think they'll find plenty of opportunity to do that, with or without Takahashi, depending on who the manager is.

The easy answer is to build an offense that clobbers people and always win by 4+

[duan]

a) the rest of you are no fun.

CF by 2012 I mean the season after this one.
the contract I was proposing was essentially one which had 3.5 million salary this year (2011)
and if we liked how it went and wanted to retain tak, we'd be paying 4.5 in 2012 season but if Tak became
"expendable middle reliever" he'd be guaranteed 2.5 million.
in essence it's a 2 year deal for 6/8 million depending on performance. My instinct is he'll be able to find someone willing to pay him more then 3 million as a starter so we're going to have to match that price but then give him some security by adding the year at the price of giving us some cost control.

that's as far as I'd go, I'd like to get it cheaper but if it cost that I'd be happy. I'd be prepared to throw in a 500k for 25 games started/50 games finished but I don't see either of them happening. Last year he was our best/2nd best reliever and our 5th best starter.

[metirish]

Deadline day is here

Heyman

"heard Tak wants 3 years for $4-5 per, NY Times says Mets offering 1 year, doesn't look too good from here"

Unless that one year is for $12 to 15 million he's a goner.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Cheers, then... and vaya con Louis y Gilbert.

[Ceetar]

Ed Coleman made it sound like they were a little closer than that. Mets offering 1 at 1.5 plus an option year, Hisanori asking for 2 at 2.

[metirish]

Ceetar wrote: Ed Coleman made it sound like they were a little closer than that. Mets offering 1 at 1.5 plus an option year, Hisanori asking for 2 at 2.

Ed added that with the contract Tak will also "get a blow" every now and then

[Benjamin Grimm]

What does Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse say?

[Frayed Knot]

So we've got:

Heyman -- "heard Tak wants 3 years for $4-5 per, ... Mets offering 1 year

and

Coleman -- Mets offering 1 at $1.5 plus an option year, Hisanori asking for 2 yrs at $2



-- meaning that by listening to these guys we can figure on him for anywhere between a mil and a half and $15 mils .... glad we got that nailed down.

[Ceetar]

I trust Coleman more. Also, he mentioned the 3 years at 4/5 as the inital offer via the first agent taht Takahashi replaced.

[duan]

ok - can other people please tell me what they'd go to if they were sandy alderson before midnight.

COME ON. indulge me.