Igawa to Seattle?

Hillsy, will you be at the Japan Night game on August 4th? I will be wearing my Hanshin Tigers' Hapi Jacket and cap with clapsicks! There is a special section of 124 seats in 115.

Nice! You'll be all decked out. My wife and I are going to try and make it. We'll try and get tickets in the area. I'll either be wearing a throwback Lotte Orions or a throwback Fighters cap.

Hey Kiyoshi, I forgot to ask, is that section for a certain group?

Anybody go? It ended up being a great game. I saw you, Kiyoshi, but when I went up to talk to you, I couldn't find you (and it's hard to lose a dude in a Hanshin hapi coat)! Anybody notice who threw out the first pitch? It looked like a Fighters' jersey #18.

Getting back to the original post, I doubt the Yanks will put Igawa on waivers at this point. As Jack said to Rose on the back rim of the Titanic, "I'm involved now." They may be hoping Igawa has a good final month and playoffs in AAA, so he'd be a trading chip. I would not mind seeing my Phillies take a shot with Igawa next spring, even though the home park is a bandbox. You never know when these guys will suddenly figure things out.

According to rumors, Igawa was almost traded to the Padres last year. I think that would have been good for him - a pitchers' ballpark plus some of the most laid back fans in the league.

Despite his nickname of "Nerves of Steel" or whatever, I don't think Igawa is that mentally tough. I'd still like to see him succeed, just not in a Yankees uniform of course!

It's funny reading the original post [JSOnline] and seeing the Yanks still trying to unload Cabrera and Igawa. This time it may be to the Brewers. I'm all for it. Brewers need pitching. Again, cliche, but just maybe a change of scenery will ....

But alas, the Yankees want the Brewers to pay some of Mike Cameron's contract (the player whom the Yankees want in the deal) or Milwaukee is saying that the Yankees should pay some of Igawa's contract. This comes down to money like it always does and I feel the Yankees should be doing the right thing and give up something good for a player they want, but I guess at the end of the day business is business.

As Hillsy said, I'm all for this deal (despite the fact that I'm a Cubs fan) as it would be a steal for Milwaukee in terms of talent with a young switch-hitting center fielder in Cabrera and a talented yet raw pitcher in Igawa. I feel that, like many players, Igawa could possibly thrive in a small market with less pressure from people like the media and fans.

- As Hillsy said, I'm all for this deal (despite the fact that I'm a Cubs fan) as it would be a steal for Milwaukee in terms of talent with a young switch-hitting center fielder in Cabrera and a talented yet raw pitcher in Igawa.

I'm not so sure Milwaukee would help Igawa escape the scrutiny as the national media has reported Igawa's failures non-stop.

On a second note, I was shocked that not a single team did not take a chance on Igawa in the Rule V draft (a team like San Diego), why do I have this infatuation to see Igawa in a Padres uniform? With such a pitcher's park and low profile city such as San Diego I feel Igawa would turn into a serviceable back of the end starter due to its favorable park factor numbers.

On an un-related note, I think this trade is terrible for the Brew Crew. Not because of Igawa, but because Melky Cabrera is over-rated and has shown little ability with weak OPS+ numbers of 95, 89, and 68. Hat tip to Baseball-Reference for the OPS+ numbers on Cabrera.

As for Igawa at Miller Park, using the ESPN Park Factors, Miller Park was actually a pitcher's park last year seeing as how home runs were at 0.893, which anything below 1 favors the pitcher. Though who knows how that will factor in 2009 with the loss of Sabathia and the possible loss of ace Ben Sheets.

So in conclusion, a change of scenery to Milwaukee may favor Igawa and would give them another arm to start on, which could be a very depleted rotation if Sheets jumps. But I would want the Yankees to take on a chunk of his contract, too, seeing as they gave up Cameron, a very serviceable outfielder, for essentially a bad return in Cabrera.

You make great points. The whole "pitcher's park and low profile city" are precisely why I like Igawa in Milwaukee. Your numbers are pretty correct in terms of Miller Park, slightly favoring pitchers (also, as the sun sets, and the way the park is built, shadows really hinder hitters). Not to mention, the Brewers can lend a good amount of run support. The only unfortunate thing, if they get Igawa, is that Mike Maddux won't be there to help him.

Maybe I'm being optimistic, but I think Cabrera is too young to count out. I think with a little tinkering and a change of scenery he could break out finally. I don't think the Brewers really wanted Cameron to begin with. I think they always thought they could trade him to the Yankees if they weren't able to sign Sabathia.

Right now it looks like the proposed Cabrera/Igawa trade for Cameron is close to moving on if a trade is not completed soon.

The Yankees believe they have plenty of time to get a deal done, as they believe there are few teams interested in Cameron at $10 million. A Yankees club source says there's still a 50-50 chance for what it's worth.

Source: New York Daily News

I don't agree that Igawa is raw. He has six full NPB seasons under his belt plus another two at AAA. He would still need to adjust to pitching at the MLB level, but he's an experienced pitcher at this point. He was excellent in Japan on the days he had good command over his change-up.

While there's no denying Igawa's past experience and success in Japan, the simple fact is that his past success and experience have not translated into success at his current level (MLB). He's already 2 years into his 5 year $20 million contract and he is still having to make adjustments to his pitching style in order to try and pitch every 5 days for New York as a member of the rotation. That to me says he is a raw pitcher, meaning he has the talent and ability to go out there, but he hasn't gotten himself together in order to do so. I think we all know that Igawa is better than what he is doing right now. In my opinion, he wasn't ready to pitch at the MLB level and made a rash decision to go to the majors.

I feel that one of the reasons for this is that he allowed himself to be posted too early. I mean, he was supposed to be the Yankees' "answer" to Boston signing Matsuzaka. And by signing with the Yankees, he automatically had all this weight put on him to perform as Matsuzaka was expected to do with Boston, and that was a bit too much for him to carry. I feel that he should've waited another year and then he should have notified Hanshin that he wanted to be posted. He should have stood out on his own rather than being a "backup" plan for teams that failed to sign Matsuzaka.

So, while I don't think Igawa can ever escape the stigma of being an over-hyped and over-paid import by the American Press (as JBroks suggests), I do think that he can regain himself with a move to a place such as San Diego (not likely because they are shedding payroll non-stop this off-season) or Milwaukee (more likely). This would get him out of the spotlight that he is in right now by being a member of the Yankees and perhaps would allow him to perform in a more low profile environment. Plus, him going to a pitcher's park can't hurt either.

And going on to Melky for a second, keep in mind that he's only 24. There's still room for improvement with him, and I agree with Hillsy and his view on "The Melk Man."

One factor about many NPB players coming over that is not discussed is their age. Many of these guys "may" be on the steep down side of their careers. Age is a funny thing; it becomes a factor for different players at different ages from early 30s until early 40s. And the age down side factor would certainly show up in a league of full international talent like the MLB first.

Igawa may have hit the age wall.

While that may be true for some players that come over from Japan, I don't think it was the case with Igawa. He was 27 when he signed with the Yankees and he will be turning 30 in 2009. I think the issue with Igawa is that it is more of a mental thing than anything else. The Yankees expected him to be an instant producer and had extremely high expectations for him, and when he couldn't live up to them, that got to him mentally. Not to mention the mishandling (IMHO) of Igawa by former pitching coach Ron Guidry and the Yankees messing around with his pitching style (i.e. completely changing his delivery) as reported in a radio interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons here [Hacks With Haggs].

That's why I'm a huge advocate for Igawa being traded to a low profile place and getting a second chance at becoming a starter for an MLB team.

Had him older in my noodle. My bad. Thanks.

Can't see Seattle picking up his salary though. They are a mess on the books following some horrible signings in recent years past.

As already pointed out, could be a good place for him to get a second chance. Maybe the Yanks will pickup some $$$$s for the M's.

Hate the Yanks.

Yeah, but Igawa is only 29. I found Peter Gammons' idea that pitching coach Ron Guidry's "adjustments" played a part in Igawa's issues. Interesting.

Bad coaching messes up countless players. I see it happen at high schools all the time, where the combination of bad coaching and bad parenting is really killing the sport.