Indians agree to 2-year contract with Japanese closer Masahide Kobayashi

[Tiger2001]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AkpV1W5eeuplq4oRtrtmOqMRvLYF?slug=ap-indians-kobayashi&prov=ap&type=lgns


Im a little confused by this signing. Why pick up Joe Blow's option and then go out and sign another closer? If he's a set up man, what do we do with Betty and Perez? Maybe Shapiro wants Kobayashi to compete for the closers roll?

[Kamd50]

Enter Kobayashi, who spent the last nine seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese Pacific League and is one of the more accomplished closers in his country's history. He saved at least 20 games in each of the last seven seasons, and he tallied 227 saves and a 2.79 ERA for his career in Japan.


What they saw was a confident strike-thrower with a three-pitch mix that includes a fastball that maxes out in the mid-90s, a two-seam fastball that cuts in on right-handers and a mid-80s slider with a hard, downward break. Kobayashi also has a deceptive delivery that some have compared to that of the Red Sox's dominant left-handed setup man, Hideki Okajima.


"His slider is his out pitch," Mirabelli said. "He can throw it any time for strikes. His strength is he's very durable. He's resilient, he can go day-to-day, and he has experience. Put the sum of all those parts together, and you've got a pretty good pitcher."

Baseball is rapidly becoming a multi-cultural game," Shapiro said. "With the kind of attitude our players have, they're going to embrace him and make him feel like part of the team."

And I hope the fans do as well!

[Benchboss1]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AkpV1W5eeuplq4oRtrtmOqMRvLYF?slug=ap-indians-kobayashi&prov=ap&type=lgns


Im a little confused by this signing. Why pick up Joe Blow's option and then go out and sign another closer? If he's a set up man, what do we do with Betty and Perez? Maybe Shapiro wants Kobayashi to compete for the closers roll?


Yea, I agree. Why even bother trying to make the team better? There is certainly no possible reason to have an able bodied closer in case Borowski gets hurt. :huh:

[Obie Wan]

Im a little confused by this signing. Why pick up Joe Blow's option and then go out and sign another closer? If he's a set up man, what do we do with Betty and Perez? Maybe Shapiro wants Kobayashi to compete for the closers roll?
Maybe this is why:
- 5.07 ERA
- 65.2 IP, 77 H, 17 W (1.43 WHIP)
- .289 BA

I'd be more confused if they stood pat.

[Tiger2001]

Maybe this is why:
- 5.07 ERA
- 65.2 IP, 77 H, 17 W (1.43 WHIP)
- .289 BA

I'd be more confused if they stood pat.

My question wasnt wheather or not Borowski is good enough or not good enough...

Why pick up Joe Blow's option($4million) and then go out and sign another closer?

[Obie Wan]

My question wasnt wheather or not Borowski is good enough or not good enough...
Insurance. They thought they had enough arms in the bullpen heading into 2006, remember?

I'd bet that Borowski, Betencourt, and/or Perez is much less effective next year. It's more prudent to have depth in place rather than having to make a high-priced deadline deal in mid-season that will certainly cost at least a hot prospect or contributor.

[Benchboss1]

ANY baseball fan SHOULD know that you can NEVER have enough pitching!!

[The Butler]

ANY baseball fan SHOULD know that you can NEVER have enough pitching!!

Amen to that. This signing only makes a good bullpen even better. It also offers up some potential trade bait.

[Tiger2001]

ANY baseball fan SHOULD know that you can NEVER have enough pitching!!

I completely understand this.

I just dont think $4million on a guy who gets raked on is good insurance.

I think we should have looked in free agency for someone with better closing "stuff". Just my opinion.

[Obie Wan]

I just dont think $4million on a guy who gets raked on is good insurance.

I think we should have looked in free agency for someone with better closing "stuff". Just my opinion.
Greater fool theory. If he does the job, he's worth it. If not, someone will always take a flyer on the guy who led the league in saves last year. If the Tribe can parlay him into a hot prospect from a contender, it's worth the money they throw at him for the first 3 months.