Ichiro to re-sign with Mariners

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/spor...ebichiro10.html

 

Not yet official. This is a fairly big piece if news though. It keeps Ichiro in Seattle and away from the free agent market. He's a marketing force so whoever has Ichiro has the Japanese market on baseball. With that in mind, the price is not so outlandish.

 

Ichiro's a unique player. He should age well given his athletic ability. I like this deal for the Mariners.

[Dandy]

There was speculation that he might stay because Hargrove left. Apparently he is fond of the interim manager.

[Cheech Tremendous]

Andruw Jones should be a very happy man right about now. Well, he would be happy if he still knew how to hit.

 

I've done a 180 on Ichiro in recent years. I thought that his game was based on his speed and that once he hit his 30s he'd decline rapidly. I also thought he'd be bad fit in center. Shows what I know sometimes.

 

I usually go to a handful of Mariners games each year and I'm glad I'll continue to see him out there for the next few seasons.

[Cheech Tremendous]

On a sidenote, I'm not sure that it's completely out of the question that Ichiro gets to 3,000 hits. He's going to have about 1,600 at the end of the season. If he can average 200 hits a season for the new five year contract, he'd be about 400 away entering his age 39 season. Obviously the chances aren't great that he can get it done, but I'm not going to count him out either.

[Dandy]

I fully expect him to get to 3,000 barring injury.

[Longdogger_Pete]

Guess we'll be keeping Coco Crisp around for awhile.

 

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

On a sidenote, I'm not sure that it's completely out of the question that Ichiro gets to 3,000 hits. He's going to have about 1,600 at the end of the season. If he can average 200 hits a season for the new five year contract, he'd be about 400 away entering his age 39 season. Obviously the chances aren't great that he can get it done, but I'm not going to count him out either.

Coming into this season he needed 1,646 hits. Four players have done that after age 32. Pete Rose, Sam Rice, Cap Anson and Honus Wagner. Rice is actually a great comp for Ichiro. He debuted at age 25, played his first full season at age 27 and missed the following year to World War I. Would have stuck around for 3,000 hits if anyone was counting back then.

[Cheech Tremendous]

Guess we'll be keeping Coco Crisp around for awhile.

 

 

Yes, until the moment Jacoby Ellsbury is ready.

 

Other than the fantastic marketing that could be done with DiceK, Oki and Ichiro together, I don't really know what place he'd have on this team. Centerfield is the last place that they need to go out and overpay for.

[Failed Bridge]

they could have always done a major reshuffling and traded both Manny and Drew then had an OF of Crisp, Ichiro, and Ellsbury. Of course its far too much trouble and leads them devoid of any real power outside of Ortiz.

 

Although it would have been fun watching them all on the basepaths. Those three plus Lugo (the few times he reaches base) could all easily have 30 stolen bases.

[Longdogger_Pete]

Oh, I didn't really expect Boston would get him, but it was a name that I seem to recall coming up often the last year or two.

 

[Danville_Wrestling]

Usually I find these mega deals ridiculous but Ichiro deserves every penny of this one.

[kkktookmybabyaway]

I like Ichiro. More power to him.

[Longdogger_Pete]

The deal is done.

 

[2GOLD]

 

Good for Ichiro and good for Seattle. Be nice to see a superstar player stay in a city for a long time, especially Seattle which has a habit of losing their superstars to trades and free agency.

 

Apparently the deal ended up being 5 years for 90 million. Not bad at all.