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Sugiuchi's holdout ends, Lerew and Matsuda also on board

Discussion in the The SoftBank Source forum
Sugiuchi's holdout ends, Lerew and Matsuda also on board
One of the things many Hawks fans (including this one) had been holding their breath on was how the next round of negotiations were going to go with team ace Toshiya Sugiuchi.

Fans can wonder no more, as the lefty decided to sign today. The team stuck to its guns, standing pat on its 50 million yen raise to him, but Sugiuchi said that he signed because he believed that the team was more sincere. Another player who signed today was Nobuhiro Matsuda, who agreed on a 42 million yen salary (up 6 million yen) for 2011.

The man who angered Sugiuchi in the first place, Itaru Kobayashi (head of player development), was also given a warning by the team, saying that he should have been more careful in the way he handled players.

However, before Sugiuchi re-entered the fold yesterday, it was also reported by Sadaharu Oh that negotiations with free agent Alex Cabrera were going well. Oh also believes that Cabrera can hit a new career high in home runs (which would break the single-season record of 55 that Oh has held).

Another player who has entered the fold is right-handed starter Anthony Lerew from the Kansas City Royals organization. He was signed to a one-year, 50 million yen contract and was assigned the number 57 (Koji Mise's former number).

With that, the Hawks may be done for the 2010 calendar year in terms of team signings unless they can get more players (Cabrera particularly) before the New Year holidays.

On a personal note, with this article I have reached my goal of 100 articles for this year! It has been a very successful year, full of ups and downs, but with the team falling short of the ultimate goal once again.

To all of my readers, I would like to thank each and every one of you for reading this blog, supporting me, and supporting the Hawks. Here's to a happy and safe New Year, and here's hoping that SoftBank can finally win their first Japan Series since 2003 next year.

I will finally be taking some time off to mentally prepare myself for the new season, unless something big happens (like if Cabrera signs or there is a trade). But until then, I bid us all a happy New Year and best wishes for 2011.
Comments
Re: Sugiuchi's holdout ends, Lerew and Matsuda also on board
[ Author: westbaystars | Posted: Dec 26, 2010 11:34 PM | YBS Fan ]

I've enjoyed reading your thoughts on the Hawks and NPB, and look forward to another year.

Congratulations on reaching 100. Will the goal be 144 (one per game) next season?
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