Trade between KUW and SS

[Evas]

Kuwana receives:
3B Bing-zhang 'Wheels' Chien
CF Katsuhiko Sakurai
$2,000,000 Cash

SS receives:
2B Ching Lim
LF Manabu Kawano
MR Yoshiyuki Kikuchi

[Steel Dragons]

Kuwana receives:
3B Bing-zhang 'Wheels' Chien
CF Katsuhiko Sakurai
$2,000,000 Cash

SS receives:
2B Ching Lim
LF Manabu Kawano
MR Yoshiyuki Kikuchi

I confirm,
This saves me a ton of money over the next few years and having Wheels and Kudo.


Thanks

[Steel Dragons]

This help sets up a better future for Kuwana.


Thanks

Kevin

[Evas]

Thanks to you too, Mark.

This was a long term plan deal for me as well. In the end, Wheels just didn't seem to be the same player I thought I had traded for anymore. If he were Japanese I could have lived with what he had become, but as a gaijin? Not so much. I didn't want to have $36M dedicated to him over the next 4 seasons anymore. He had owned the BBG in the past. I hope he returns to that form. I hate seeing super stars flame out.

Lim should make for a solid fill in that gives "Tippy" (who hasn't homered since May) some time in AAA to reboot. I probably won't pick up his option though. With that gaijin slot opened up I might see how the FA market looks for a replacement for 2019.

Kawano should be a solid upgrade in CF for at least the rest of the season. I'll be eager to see how his power fares in my park.

Roster moves to follow soon...

[Steel Dragons]

Yeah I think he could use a fresh start

[Steel Dragons]

Please put both
3B Bing-zhang 'Wheels' Chien
CF Katsuhiko Sakurai

in starting roles on the roster


Thank you :)

[Iyou Seigyoki]

This is a fascinating trade.

Wheels did turn out to be a cautionary tale for the rest of us regarding really long-term contracts. We just never know when a player will suddenly fizzle. Still he is a solid third baseman with plus defensive skills at that position. If he doesn't fall back any further, he is a decent run producer, though not worth that kind of salary. You could lead him off (his strikeouts won't hurt you there) or bat him fifth.

Sakarai is a 5th OF and nothing more. His lack of power makes him useless as an every day player.

Ching Lim is an offensive force at 2B and a true good #2 hitter. Unfortunately his defensive skills are equally offensive as his -7.0 zone rating and .947 defensive efficiency suggest. He's the kind of player you hate to have when you have a lot of groundball pitchers on your staff. Domingo Watanabe is going to hate this guy. He has an interesting contract with a team option in the second year and a player option in the third year of the $27,000,000.

Manabu Kowano is the outfield version of Tabito Matsubara, except he has some speed. He'll drive in a lot of runs batting 6th or 7th.

Kikuchi was a salary dump as he's only good as a borderline MR or mopup man.

Mark, I don't see how this saves you a ton of money over the years. It seems like the overall money is a virtual wash if Kevin exercises the team option.

At this point it seems that Kevin got more value in this trade, but as in all trades, things change as time goes by.

[Steel Dragons]

I see it as the pitcher saves me an additional 4.6 mil, in the equation. The other key part is his popularity will keep fans around a bit longer lol

[Evas]

This is a fascinating trade.

Wheels did turn out to be a cautionary tale for the rest of us regarding really long-term contracts. We just never know when a player will suddenly fizzle. Still he is a solid third baseman with plus defensive skills at that position. If he doesn't fall back any further, he is a decent 3B, though not worth that kind of salary. You could lead him off (his strikeouts won't hurt you there) or bat him fifth.

Sakarai is a 5th OF and nothing more. His lack of power makes him useless as an every day player.

Ching Lim is an offensive force at 2B and a true good #2 hitter. Unfortunately his defensive skills are equally offensive as his -7.0 zone rating and .947 defensive efficiency suggest. He's the kind of player you hate to have when you have a lot of groundball pitchers on your staff. Domingo Watanabe is going to hate this guy. He has an interesting contract with a team option in the second year and a player option in the third year of the $27,000,000.

Manabu Kowano is the outfield version of Tabito Matsubara, except he has some speed. He'll drive in a lot of runs batting 6th or 7th.

Kikuchi was a salary dump as he's only good as a borderline MR or mopup man.

Mark, I don't see how this saves you a ton of money over the years. It seems like the overall money is a virtual wash if Kevin exercises the team options, which he probably will if his players pan out.

At this point it seems that Kevin got more value in this trade, but as in all trades, things change as time goes by.

Interesting take, Tom. Thanks for breaking it down. I always like seeing the perspective of some of the great baseball minds around here. You've proven me wrong more than once.

For the most part I agree with your take. But I wouldn't be responding if I didn't have a few differences...

I like Lim as a jump stater for my offense for the rest of the year. I think he should translate well in to my park with his good contact and gap power. Clearly his defense has not been great in 2018, projecting out to a -11.7 ZR over 144 games. But his range is OK, and he turns DP's very well. I'm hoping that he has been a little unlucky so far in 2018 fielding wise. His career EFF is a decent-ish .977, and much better than his 2018 EFF of .947. But he will be yanked in the late inning of close games in favor of my new UIF Agano.

I think that the whole deal really comes down to how much you believe in Wheels. I don't think he is worth the gaijin spot on my contending club. The money is important, but secondary to me. I am not hurting for budget room at the moment.

But I can see the logic for Kuwana adding him through this deal. After dumping Kikuchi and Lim and adding some cash, Kuwana is adding a net of about $27M or so in salary for Wheels over the next 4 years. His popularity is sky high, so he'll likely add revenue. If the extra revenue is say $2M/year (a paltry $28k or so per home game), Kuwana is really only adding about $5M in extra cost per year for Wheels. That is not a bad price for what he does now. Plus there is the potential upside there. Maybe, just maybe, after he goes back home to the BBG he looks a little bit more like old Wheels. Pretty much any movement in that direction turns him in to a bargain quickly.

I also think Sakurai is a little better than you describe, or at least has more potential than that. He has good contact and gap power and has had success in the LRS before. I think if things fall his way he could produce like he did for me in 2016 (.316/.372/.788). A .788 bat with a good glove in CF has some value in the LRS.

But back on Wheels, yeah I do feel a little singed by his contract. I haven't had great luck so far when signing position players to mega deals. Old Eitoku 'Mjølnir' Yamada was a beast for me in 2011, dropping a beastly 74.1 VORP. But he burned me very badly when I signed him to a 2 year $26.7M deal after that year. He posted a -6.4 VORP in 2012. Bleh.

[Evas]

Mr. Simmer, please make the following moves:

Setup Lim as my starting 2B in all lineups, batting 2nd
Setup Kawano as my starting CF in all lineups, batting 6th
Setup Kikuchi as my #4 Middle Reliever & Mop up guy

[Iyou Seigyoki]

But I can see the logic for Kuwana adding him through this deal. After dumping Kikuchi and Lim and adding some cash, Kuwana is adding a net of about $27M or so in salary for Wheels over the next 4 years. His popularity is sky high, so he'll likely add revenue. If the extra revenue is say $2M/year (a paltry $28k or so per home game), Kuwana is really only adding about $5M in extra cost per year for Wheels. That is not a bad price for what he does now. Plus there is the potential upside there. Maybe, just maybe, after he goes back home to the BBG he looks a little bit more like old Wheels. Pretty much any movement in that direction turns him in to a bargain quickly.

I also think Sakurai is a little better than you describe, or at least has more potential than that. He has good contact and gap power and has had success in the LRS before. I think if things fall his way he could produce like he did for me in 2016 (.316/.372/.788). A .788 bat with a good glove in CF has some value in the LRS.

I didn't factor in "Wheels"' popularity ratings. That certainly makes the trade better for Mark, though I still give you the overall edge.

As for Sakurai, you didn't convince me. That one good year was an anomaly that will likely not recur. I would have him in my lineup only as a last resort.

I miss our trade talks, Kevin, where we would go back and forth like this. You don't seem to have anything to have anything to help me now in the way of pitching except for Kyuso Yoshida, and I'm thinking his price would be dear indeed. I know I balked during our last trade talks but that was because I made the mistake of making a deal at work without the game and my scout to help me. I won't make that mistake again, so I hope at some point we can unclog what was once one of the great trade pipelines of the LRS.

[Evas]

I miss our trade talks, Kevin, where we would go back and forth like this. You don't seem to have anything to have anything to help me now in the way of pitching except for Kyuso Yoshida, and I'm thinking his price would be dear indeed. I know I balked during our last trade talks but that was because I made the mistake of making a deal at work without the game and my scout to help me. I won't make that mistake again, so I hope at some point we can unclog what was once one of the great trade pipelines of the LRS.

I miss them too. I'd chalk the lack of activity up to our both being in the same stage of development, we are within a game of each other right now after all. I would still love to see a SS/Naha NTC. That would be one for the ages.

But thinking about deals... maybe I could come up with something. There is technically a little time left....

[Iyou Seigyoki]

But thinking about deals... maybe I could come up with something. There is technically a little time left....

I thought that might be your response.

I'll check in every now and then to see if you came up with an offer.

[Board of the PEBA]

Kuwana receives:
3B Bing-zhang 'Wheels' Chien
CF Katsuhiko Sakurai
$2,000,000 Cash

SS receives:
2B Ching Lim
LF Manabu Kawano
MR Yoshiyuki Kikuchi

I confirm,
This saves me a ton of money over the next few years and having Wheels and Kudo.


Thanks

This trade is official and has been processed.

I was able to Roster Kuwana's new players, but I was not able to add them to the starting rosters on the account of them being full.