2002-3 Declared Free Agents

This morning's SanSpo (Sankei Sports) reports that Kintetsu has offered Nori Nakamura a 6-year 3.6 billion yen deal. This would "buy" his second free agency in four years' time, making it effectively a "life-long" contract.

Nakamura is reported to be satisfied with it (as he dang-well should be!), but he is still waiting to hear what Hanshin has to offer. I find this rather surprising, as Hanshin said earlier that they have given up on him.

So what's the deal? Will he be in stripes after all?

NHK reported tonight that Daiei's Wakatabe has signed with the Yokohama Baystars.

I don't think this is a complete list because, if I'm correct, Petagine was an FA until he signed with the Giants.

I heard the Mets are possibly interested in Nakamura. I was unable to find any defensive stats on him. From his double plays hit into and SB numbers, I gather he is fairly slow, so I wonder about his range in the field.

Rob

There are some other threads that refer to Nakamura's defense as "adequate." After defending his defense based on those times I'd seen him, he booted a few balls in the Nichi-Bei Series. Awww.

Nakamura has won the Golden Glove Award for third base four years in a row, as well as been named to the Pacific League Best Nine the same 1999 through 2002 plus 1996.

He is a bit heafty, 92 kg to his 180 cm height. That may limit his range a bit. But he is a solid third baseman with power.

Is Nakamura interested in playing in the States? Clearly Matsui wants to give it a try. Does Nakamura have the same interest? And is he interested in the Mariners?

- [...] so I wonder about his range in the field.

Range and speed are different things. Ordonez of the NY Mets is a 46-23 career base stealer, however he is a great shortstop. While it sometimes is so that fast players have a lot of range, players that are average or slow can have a lot of range. Jim Edmonds is average in terms of speed, yet he is a Golden Glove center-fielder with astounding range.

Regarding Nori's gold gloves, I think they might be a product of his offence. Big Mac won a GG in 1990. Hard to believe. It isn't supposed to work that way but it happens. A-Rod was great defensively, but Mike Brodrick was better.

A-Rod was great defensively, but Mike Brodrick was better.

Rodriguez played in 162 games this year; Bordick played in 117. Offense aside, I'd take A-Rod's glove and the extra 45 games.

You have a point, there. It's a list of Japanse players who have put in their time to become free agents. Foreign players have different contracts and don't have to wait 9 to 10 years to qualify for free agency.

In Petagine's case, his contract expired and Yakult elected not to renew it or put him on their reserved player list (like Yokohama did with Rose a few years ago). Furthermore, unlike Japanese free agents, I don't believe that the Giants have to pay 1.5 times Peta's salary to Yakult. (Please, somebody correct me if I'm wrong.)

It's my understanding that Petagine was "contract free" rather than a "free agent." Both are denoted as "jiyu keiyaku" (literally "self contract") in the newspaper. But they aren't quite treated the same way.

Petagine and his agent,Peter Greenberg could not agree on his contract negotiation with Yakult.
Yakult made an effort to resign Petagine by offering the new contract. Petagine rejected Yakult's final offer.The Giants do not need to pay or give the compansation to Yakult. Petagine became a free agent, when his contract with the Yakult Swallows expired after this season.