Yanks Interested in Young Iranian-Japanese Pitcher?

I just read about this at MLBTradeRumors (thanks guys). I’m not sure how credible this report is but it does state that the Yankees are interested in acquiring Yu Darvish of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (a Japanese team) after the 2008 season.

As of now, Yu Darvish has many believing that he is the best pitcher in Japan. He’s young (21) and Dice-K’s posting fee and salary would probably look like peanuts in comparison for his services (if posted). Here’s some info about him, he’s got some excellent numbers, but, remember, the guys over at MLBTR make a good point.

Darvish himself has not given any indication that he wants to leave Japan, and Japan loves the guy (from what I’ve read), so I think his team wouldn’t even want to offer him up. It seems as though he may even be the new face of Japanese baseball (since Dice-K left), so this news is just a rumor as of now, and doesn’t really have any legs.

I repeat, just a rumor as of now, and we’re not sure how realistic it might be. The only reason I’m posting about it is because we’ve never really heard of this guy, so, even if it is just a rumor, in the future his name may become a big deal for the MLB (much like Daisuke Matsuzaka’s did).

EDIT– If you guys are interested in learning more about Yu Darvish, here’s a great blog (Yu Darvish Watch) that offers a ton of comprehensive information about him and his numbers. It offers a pretty detailed game log too, some good stuff there. Using that blog, it seems like Darvish has a mid to low 90’s fastball, a good slider and curve, but he can be wild at times (first inning meltdowns?). Nice to know.

Remember Matt Clement?

He was the Red Sox version of Carl Pavano (except he’s not nearly as bad in terms of his contract and the amount of starts he provided). Here’s the video of him getting beaned in the head with a line drive off the bat of Carl Crawford. Absolutely amazing that he didn’t sustain any serious physical injuries.

Matt Clement is an interesting guy. Back in 2005 with the BoSox, he was actually having a good year (he started the season pitching 4.1 innings against the Yankees and gave up 2 earned runs). However, that line drive really capped off a horrible stretch for Clement, as he went into the month of July with a 3.33 ERA and left it with a big lump on the side of his head while sporting a 4.43 ERA. He had some arm issues after that year and his tenure with the Sox was pretty much over before it started in 06.

The Pirates and Cleveland are currently on his radar.

The Twins and Santana

Here’s an interesting post from River Ave. Blues which talks about the Twins and how some folks think that the big market teams like the Yankees and Red Sox are lowballing the Twins in their offers for Johan Santana.

I just have a quick comment. I totally agree with Ben at RAB and feel that no one is getting lowballed here (maybe the Red Sox are lowballing a bit, but not the Yankees). He’s correct in saying that we would only be receiving Johan Santana for a single year from the Twins. They’re guaranteed to lose him after this season so they dont necessarily have the leverage that a Billy Beane had when trading Dan Haren.

Haren brought back a tremendous package of prospects from the Diamondbacks and a lot of people thought that the trade would set the table for what the Twins would require when dealing Santana. However, Haren was a very cheap option, as his contract has him making around $16.25 million over a 3-year period. So, when trading for Haren, you’re actually getting him for 3 very cheap seasons. That’s more then what you’d get in a Santana trade (year wise and it’s financially viable).

Nice point by RAB, one that we cannot forget, and one that the Yankees certainly must remember before shipping off a Phil Hughes or an Ian Kennedy.

2008 Bits: The First of the New Year

What can I say, I’m dedicated to the cause. Here are some quick bits of news for all of those checking in with us today, as it is the first day of the new year.

• Rusty Hardin, Roger Clemens’ primary lawyer, believes that there is no way to prove a negative (that Clemens did not use steroids). For this reason, he will be focusing on the credibility of those who accuse Roger (McNamee) and will attempt to persuade public perception. This information has been provided to us in a report by Murray Chass. Here, Chass also questions the legitimacy of Roger Clemens denials (its a critical piece), especially after Andy Pettitte came forward.
• In other Clemens related news, he will still be acting as a guest speaker for a convention which features a group of high school baseball coaches in Texas. The group believes that Clemens should be perceived as innocent until any guilt is confirmed, and therefore, they support his talk regarding his workout regiments and ability to prolong his pitching career (what great timing).
• Also, last but certainly not least, Jim Leyritz released a statement yesterday regarding the recent tragedy that he was involved in that ended the life of one, Fredia Ann Veitch. In his statement, which was released by his friend and lawyer, Jeffrey Ostrow, Leyritz said the following (courtesy of the Daily News):

“Due to the tragic and unfortunate events of Dec. 28, 2007, Mr. Leyritz and his family wish to express their deepest sympathies and condolences to the Veitch family,” Ostrow said.

Hope you’ve all had a fun night. Enjoy the first day of the new year and remember that the 2008 baseball season is slowly getting closer and closer, so hang in there.