Sunday, December 1, 2015
Katsumi Nakamura, Toyama Times

Last Tuesday, Katsunosuki Kichida was designated juuki for the 2016 season. Instead of entering free agency, he will remain a member of the Lupin Cliff Hangers with a no-trade clause on a salary of $2,448,535. In hopes of gathering some behind-the-scenes information, we interviewed some of the key players involved in this development.

We began our discovery with the center of attraction himself, Katsunosuki Kichida. Upon our request for an interview, Katsunosuki spit out the obligatory, “No comment,” but as he turned to walk away, I thought I heard him say under his breath (and after a handful of expletives ), “Jerky juuki jam job.” I’m not sure exactly what that means, but I don’t think those were terms of endearment.

Our next interview was with the man responsible for the decision, General Manager Jim Konopka. Here’s what he had to say on the subject: “For the first time during my term as general manager, a player has been designated as juuki. We have frowned on applying the juuki designation due to its affect on players. It is not consistent with our organization’s desired posture toward valuable human resources.

“However, 33-year-old Katsunosuki Kichida was asking for over $10,000,000 per year for four years. This was beyond what Lupin could afford. With the outstanding season that he had in 2015 and the fact that the juuki designation meant we could retain him for an additional year at $2,448,535, there was only one possible decision. We don’t expect Katsunosuki to be happy with this situation, but he is a professional. Everything that I know about him indicates that he will make the best of this situation. I’m not really sure it’s fair to him, but this is part of being a professional in the LRS. We anticipate the outcome on the diamond to overcome any hard feelings resulting from the juuki designation.

“We would love it if we had the ability to pay every player the highest salary in the league, but if we did that, the club would be bankrupt in a year. As unfortunate as it may seem, baseball is a business as well as a game. Somebody needs to pay the players, maintain the stadium, advertise, promote, pay people to operate the stadium and take care of the field. We have an obligation to maximize income and reduce expenses. I wouldn’t survive till the end of the season if I didn’t make the financial aspect my main focus in every decision.

“The juuki designation is part of the contract process in the LRS. There are minor league options, minimum salary automatic contracts, arbitration, and free agency. Then there is the juuki designation. I didn’t make the rules. Those are the ground rules that I’m playing within. If I were to ignore the juuki option when considering contracts, then the Cliff Hangers would lose a competitive edge to the teams that are taking advantage of that option. We would also field a lesser team. Is that really fair to the fans? They are willing to spend their hard-earned money to enjoy a baseball game. I see it as my job to provide them with the highest quality baseball experience I’m able to. That includes taking advantage of the juuki contract option.”

We obtained an interview from someone in the trenches with Katsunosuki: teammate Naoaki Kichida. “I really feel for ‘Kich Kat.’ He’s coming off a strong season. I mean, he played the best he could, knowing that he was entering free agency this off-season. He was in a position to earn top yen. Instead, he’s rewarded with no raise whatsoever. Who knows if he’ll be able to perform at the same level this coming season? What if he suffers an injury? Who knows how many more years he can play? It really is not fair to my friend.

“I was designated juuki with Kure for the 2014 season, so I know what he’s going through. Things turned out well for me. I was able to join Lupin on a really generous contract. But when you are first designated juuki, you really don’t know how things will turn out. I know I had a lot of concern and anxiety.”

We also spoke to someone who might be just as affected by the decision as Katsunosuki himself: Lupin manager Kinnosuke Iwasaki. “This is one of the toughest aspects of the job. Trying to instill motivation in individual players. Helping the players reach a mindset where they are willing to give more than 100% every single day of the year no matter how beaten up, heartbroken, or shaken up they are. Then trying to keep individual players who might be upset from contaminating the spirit and camaraderie of the clubhouse. I don’t think they even teach those aspects in college. Like I said, it’s the most difficult task of the manager.

“Now I’ve got a situation where a guy was really looking forward to getting rewarded for all his years of hard work. You’ve got to remember that he has been sweating in the dirt and dust, getting grass stains since he was in Little League. While other kids were watching TV or playing video games, he was putting in hard work, straining his body and mind to improve his game and rise to the competition. He worked through the minors, putting up with all kinds of difficulties on the way. He proved himself in the majors. He made personal sacrifices to benefit the team. He gave his all through minimum salary years, went through arbitration. Finally, after all of that, he has a chance to get a little personal reward for him and his family, but the rug is ripped out from under him.

“As a manager, I’m stuck with a guy who really would rather not be playing for this club, who will be playing for less money than his true value would bring in. He is obviously not going to be happy. He is not pleased with the team’s decision, and now I’ve got a team with a sore spot. I’ve got to come up with a way to approach this situation, as much for him as for his teammates, who might go through the juuki thing in the future. I’ve got to find something to say to the guy. What can I possibly say? Seriously, can you imagine anything helpful to tell a guy in that situation? I have had dinner with his family. I’ve been to his house. I know his wife and kids. Come on… really? I mean…

“But I’ve probably already said too much. I should keep my mouth shut and just go about my tasks. I’m getting paid to manage and I should focus on that. Somehow, I’ve got to protect the organization’s best interests and be an organizational spokesman. I think I need to end this interview now.”

Now you have a bit of insight into this controversial contract. It remains to be seen how things will turn out for Kichida and the Cliff Hangers in 2016.