Adam Jones signs 2-year deal with Orix Buffaloes

[MurphDogg]

I know this is a stretch for a main board topic, but I think people will find it interesting, and things are slow this week.

I find this to be pretty fascinating, if it happens, he would be the highest profile player to go to Japan that I can think of.

Update: Official!

 

[ArtVanDelay]

Good for Adam.  Japan is a lovely country and he's clearly no longer a major league caliber player. 

[interloper]

MLB is seeing a fairly dramatic exodus of guys dumping the current broken system for better times in Japan and Korea. Honestly, if you're Jones, why WOULDN'T you just say "to hell with waiting until March to get a minor league offer". Go hit some dongs off some sub-par pitchers, play the hero for another couple years, eat some interesting food for your instagram, and witness fans in the stands who actually care and pay attention to the game and cheer. 

There's literally only one downside if you're Jones and that's moving your family. 

[Frobby]

Adam is well traveled internationally and is the type of guy who might really enjoy spending a few years in a foreign culture.     He’d certainly be one if the best American players ever to play in Japan.   (I don’t mean now, but in terms of his past major league career.)

[foxfield]

This would be interesting. Good for him.

[MurphDogg]

Has anyone here ever been to a game in Japan? I would like to go but it is a hell of a long flight. Not sure I would be able to convince my wife, there are many places in Europe that she would much prefer visiting.

[atomic]

MLB might need to raise the league minimum. With all the guys from our roster who have left for Japan in the last few years it could become a trend.

[Can_of_corn]

13 minutes ago, MurphDogg said:

I know this is a stretch for a main board topic, but I think people will find it interesting, and things are slow this week.

I find this to be pretty fascinating, if it happens, he would be the highest profile player to go to Japan that I can think of.

Manny Ramirez.

[MurphDogg]

6 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Manny Ramirez.

Yeah, but more of a technicality. He played in a Japenese independent league at the age of 45, playing in front of between 207 and 1,935 fans, six years after last playing in the Majors. A little different than going from MLB to NPB.

[Aristotelian]

3 minutes ago, MurphDogg said:

Has anyone here ever been to a game in Japan? I would like to go but it is a hell of a long flight. Not sure I would be able to convince my wife, there are many places in Europe that she would much prefer visiting.

I went in June. Caught a Yakult Swallows game in Tokyo (actually vs Oryx). Nori Aoki was celebrating some milestone before the game but I could not tell what they were saying. My wife was the one who wanted to go to Japan. Catching a game there was literally my only request for the itinerary but she was delighted to oblige.

[esmd]

18 minutes ago, interloper said:

MLB is seeing a fairly dramatic exodus of guys dumping the current broken system for better times in Japan and Korea. Honestly, if you're Jones, why WOULDN'T you just say "to hell with waiting until March to get a minor league offer". Go hit some dongs off some sub-par pitchers, play the hero for another couple years, eat some interesting food for your instagram, and witness fans in the stands who actually care and pay attention to the game and cheer. 

There's literally only one downside if you're Jones and that's moving your family. 

+1.  He's a young guy in the grand scheme of things.  Living in Japan in your mid-30's for a couple of years, making (probably) better money then he could in MLB, there's not much downside for home.  I hope it works out for him and he enjoys playing over there.

[Spl51]

Remember the guys saying we NEEDED him, and 2 years/$16 million was an insult?

[Redskins Rick]

14 minutes ago, Spl51 said:

Remember the guys saying we NEEDED him, and 2 years/$16 million was an insult?

No

[Moose Milligan]

Looks like the Orix Buffaloes could pick up a lot of fans in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

[Can_of_corn]

28 minutes ago, MurphDogg said:

Yeah, but more of a technicality. He played in a Japenese independent league at the age of 45, playing in front of between 207 and 1,935 fans, six years after last playing in the Majors. A little different than going from MLB to NPB.

Being right on a technicality is the best kind of being right.