News about the compensation players acquired by the Chunichi Dragons during the offseason is creating a buzz.
I'm curious about the truth of the matter, but this time I'd like to write about some points that I find interesting and my personal opinion.
An examination of the issues surrounding the alleged avoidance of a free agent compensation for Giants player Uehara.
Is the content of the news report even factual?
The main points of the reported information are as follows:
As compensation for acquiring free agent player Ohno, the Nippon Ham Fighters nominated pitcher Iwase, who was not protected in their draft list.
When the team approached Iwase about transferring, he refused, even saying he would retire if he were to transfer.
Considering the circumstances, Nippon Ham said they would be satisfied with monetary compensation.
The main points are as described above.
I honestly don't know if this is true or not.
The protected list is confidential information that affects the players' motivation, so it's unlikely to be leaked so easily.
However, it's not impossible that there are some people involved with such a low level of awareness, so it's possible that this is true.
If that's true, then some things do make sense.
- The announcement regarding whether compensation would be for personnel or money came quite late.
- Chunichi Dragons team president commented, "We are grateful that they made such a choice."
- The Nippon Ham Fighters' general manager commented, "We're not trying to prolong this. There are complex factors involved."
These comments make sense if there were indeed these kinds of troubles going on behind the scenes.
However, it will likely never be revealed whether these claims are true or not.
If that's true, why would they do that?
If what has been said is true, why did the Chunichi Dragons do something like this?
One possible reason is that they thought Iwase wouldn't be taken even if he wasn't protected.
Iwase has signed a contract to serve as both player and coach for next season.
I think they probably thought that even if they left those players unprotected, they wouldn't actually be taken.
They might have thought it was a clever idea because it would save one protection slot.
If that was the reason, then it's an incredibly naive way of thinking.
It would be disrespectful to leave out a player who holds the record for the most appearances in history and has contributed to the Chunichi Dragons for such a long time for this reason.
In the past, the Nippon Ham Fighters have done surprising things within the rules, such as drafting pitcher Sugano, who had said he would only join the Giants, and drafting Shohei Ohtani, who had announced his intention to play in Major League Baseball.
If they're worried about Iwase being drafted, then the logical thing to do would be to simply protect him.
The second reason is that Iwase was simply deemed unnecessary and therefore left unprotected.
As a fan, I would not want this to be the reason, and I believe this is a team that values local players.I believe this is unlikely to be the reason.
Or perhaps it's a combination of both reasons I just mentioned.
However, either way, if it's true, I think Iwase must be disappointed as well.
If it's not true, then why did they do it?
Conversely, if it's not true, then why would someone write an article like this?
The primary reason is probably simply "because it sells newspapers."
Whether it's a sensationalist article or a purely fictional one, if the title is intriguing, it's a fan's instinct to take a look.
In fact, it's become a huge topic of conversation, and I myself am writing this article about it.
Just like with weekly magazines, if it becomes a hot topic like this, it's exactly what the newspaper company wanted.
Furthermore, writing articles like these can provide clues to the contents of the protected list, whether the team denies or confirms the information.
If this happens, it will set a precedent that "even if an article isn't factual, you can get information from the team if you write something that generates buzz."
Therefore, I imagine it's frustrating for the Chunichi Dragons and Nippon Ham Fighters because they can't either deny or affirm anything.
Summary of problems and case distinctions
I don't know if the information reported this time is true or not.
Therefore, let's consider the problems in both the case where it is true and the case where it is not true.
- If the report is true
1. It's strange that the Chunichi Dragons didn't protect their long-serving players, and even if it was a technique to save on protected player slots, it was a naive approach.
2. If he refused to transfer as compensation, Iwase should have been suspended from playing, but that hasn't happened.
3. This kind of confidential information leaks because the relevant organizations lack proper information control.
- If the report is not true
1. The lack of morals of sports newspapers that publish baseless articles (this is not the first time this has happened).
I think it will be as described above.
This season's offseason is certainly full of interesting topics, but I can't help but feel there's a rather unpleasant atmosphere surrounding it.
There's still plenty to talk about, from pitcher Matsuzaka's tryout, Murata's future, whether Ichiro will return to NPB, to Ohtani's potential move to Major League Baseball.
I'll write again if I find any other articles that interest me.