Time to Free Agency
Discussion in the Open Talk forum
Comments
Re: Time to Free Agency
[ Author: Guest: Jim Albright | Posted: Dec 18, 2003 1:46 AM
]
The Japanese Players' Association is not a strong one, and this is the deal they've got. Remember, they represent all the players, not just the ones with the talent to go and start in the majors. Really, NPB is probably better than MLB for almost all those players who are not good enough to start at a position or play a major pitching role in MLB, which is to say the lion's share of them. It is an open question how many of those with MLB "starter" capabilities will find MLB better for them. Nakamura, last season, had a more lucrative deal in Japan than in MLB, which was a key factor in his staying in NPB.
The majors have agreed to respect those contracts in exchange for NPB respecting their contracts. This is significant for MLB in controlling its costs for players who aren't their key players yet. Yes, some still get big bucks for playing in the minors, but there would be many more if NPB raided this talent base. The Lords of Baseball do not want salary wars, and are willing to pay this price. Further, they are reaching out to market to Japan, and heavy handed raiding of NPB would look more like ugly Americans throwing their weight and money around than anything, at least to Japan. Not a great marketing strategy, to say the least. The carrot approach they have pursued may be a bit conservative, and there is more they could do, but I suggest it is on the right track.
The bottom line is, if a player tried to unilaterally break his contract to go to MLB, he'd likely find himself without a baseball home. Not an appetizing prospect to say the least. Also, Japanese value conformity more than we Americans do, and the pressure on those (like Nomo) who try such maneuvers is considerable.
NPB may be a cage for the most talented Japanese players, but it is a nicely gilded one, and it is not permanent. Really, even the best don't lose more than 5-6 years they could be productive in the majors. They'd otherwise be working their way through the minors in the States for the first few years.
Jim Albright
The majors have agreed to respect those contracts in exchange for NPB respecting their contracts. This is significant for MLB in controlling its costs for players who aren't their key players yet. Yes, some still get big bucks for playing in the minors, but there would be many more if NPB raided this talent base. The Lords of Baseball do not want salary wars, and are willing to pay this price. Further, they are reaching out to market to Japan, and heavy handed raiding of NPB would look more like ugly Americans throwing their weight and money around than anything, at least to Japan. Not a great marketing strategy, to say the least. The carrot approach they have pursued may be a bit conservative, and there is more they could do, but I suggest it is on the right track.
The bottom line is, if a player tried to unilaterally break his contract to go to MLB, he'd likely find himself without a baseball home. Not an appetizing prospect to say the least. Also, Japanese value conformity more than we Americans do, and the pressure on those (like Nomo) who try such maneuvers is considerable.
NPB may be a cage for the most talented Japanese players, but it is a nicely gilded one, and it is not permanent. Really, even the best don't lose more than 5-6 years they could be productive in the majors. They'd otherwise be working their way through the minors in the States for the first few years.
Jim Albright
About
This is a site about Pro Yakyu (Japanese Baseball), not about who the next player to go over to MLB is. It's a community of Pro Yakyu fans who have come together to share their knowledge and opinions with the world. It's a place to follow teams and individuals playing baseball in Japan (and Asia), and to learn about Japanese (and Asian) culture through baseball.
It is my sincere hope that once you learn a bit about what we're about here that you will join the community of contributors.
Michael Westbay
(aka westbaystars)
Founder
Copyright (c) 1995-2024 JapaneseBaseball.com.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Some rights reserved.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Some rights reserved.
To an outsider like myself, it seems like Japanese players may be signing a contract that can be disregarding their own personal career ambitions. Why would a player agree to those terms? Under what legal process can a Japanese team stop a player from getting on a plane and fling to the AL or NL. If a player was to leave before a contract had expired, what would stop a MLB team from respecting a player's desirers and singing them? What advantage would a MLB team have in respecting the contract between a player and a Japanese team if they market them selves as having he best players in the world?