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Mariners trade Ichiro to Yankees

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I will probably never get used to seeing him in a Yankees uniform. I'll miss him on the Mariners team but wish him well!

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Ichy has been a class act throughout his career. He deserves a world series win even if it has to be with the Yankees. I hope the baseball gods and lady luck smiles on him and grants him a couple of comeback seasons to rival the best of his glory day.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Wow! Never saw this coming! Ichiro is a Yankee...hard to picture!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

He deserve a world series ring. good luck. good on ya!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

sjfp, the Yanks got him for his defense, not his declining offensive skills. Angel Pagan? Really? He had 10 errors in the outfield last year and only 5 assists. Ichiro has 3 times as many assists as errors this year and for his career. Hope he can win a ring.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

As a Mariners fan, I am devastated, but as a fan of Ichiro, I'm glad he gets to play for a ring.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Otsukaresama! Ichiro definitely did his best while the Mariners remained the worst. While I don't like him as a person, he is definitely a fine athlete.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

The most storied sports franchise in the entire world, bar none.

I`m sure some of Europes elite football clubs would disagree with you.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

And to top it off, the Yankees PLAY the Mariners tonight in Seattle (about 11 AM in Japan). I assume he'll be in a Yankee uniform and not in the Seattle dugout. That's going to be very interesting.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Unexpected news, but, yes, I can imagine Ichiro in pin stripes!

He'll be "a hit" in The Bronx!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Gotta agree with Cracaphat. Everything you say makes perfect sense - though I still sense there is more to this story. Wonder what the fans reaction will be at tonight's game.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I was disappointed with Ichiro three years ago when his contract was up that he would go for the prize but stood behind the worst team in baseball history. Mariners is a hopeless team with owners that just counts how much hot dogs they sell.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Ichiro is one smart guy. He seems to always make the right decisions at the right time. He waives his trade refusal rights just as he sees vacancy in Yankees' outfielders lineup to secure his long awaited move in the safest manner thinkable. He makes sure this is announced just before the Mariners Yankees game in Seattle to secure the highest media coverage possible and a press conference involving both teams in the same place with him. How better can his major league career be than to end it in pinstripes fighting for the world series ring. Even if they don't win it, still Ichiro will be returning to Japan with further added brand value. Stark contrast with the way Matsui has been handling the final stages of his major league career, and this news is probably going to hurt him. Do hope Matsui can also make a well deserved comeback in his own not as flashy but just as affective ways.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

sfjp330: Some of your assessment may be right, still appears to be a smart move all the same especially in light of the tone and degree of media coverage in Japan. It's no secret here that he is in the last stages of his major league career.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

if the mariners were looking to dump him like you say, then how is it dumb? play out the rest of the year on a last place team and not get an extension or play for a first place team and not get an extension. he should choose the former why?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

that would make the mariners dumb not ichiro. you already said teams wouldnt be lining up to sign him the offseason. if seattle isnt willing to give him an extension then might as well go to a playoff contender and play for the last piece on hardware missing from his collection. one last hurrah before riding off into the sunset. sounds smart to me.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

sfjp330: Needless to say, contracts can only be based on mutual agreement. Specifically, they can only be based on a specific balance of the economic and other interests (as well as risks) of both parties to which the parties agreed to. There should thus be nothing to be questioned or criticized about his intelligence or his greed in exercising his contractual rights as per a specific provision to which the team had agreed. His performance was clearly declining in the recent 2 yrs (incl this yr), but given his age this can by no means be surprising to anyone including the fans and particularly those who were involved in negotiating his current contract on behalf of the team. In my view the standing ovation of the fans in Seattle in his first game in pinstripes pretty much says it all, underlining the "smartness" to be seen in him.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

alliswellinjapan Well said. agreed!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

It is about time! He's almost 39.... lets hope there is still some fuel left in the tank.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Well even with all the smack talk about his age, his first at bat is a single with the Yankees.

Sweet!

The game is on now at MLBDOTCOM

0 ( +1 / -1 )

For 2 minor league pitchers, a bag of balls, and some merch. Geez. What happened to Ichiro stock? Well at least he'll be in the most difficult and competitive division. The AL East is the beast of baseball. Always has been, always will be.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

A proven all-around pro and future hall of famer for two struggling minor leaguers? One slight detail not mentioned was the money NY paid, though Ichiro may have been gladly sold.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I looked at the Yankee team roster and nobody is wearing the #51 so I guess he'll be happy about that.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Who wouldn't want to be a Yankee for at least one season. The most storied sports franchise in the entire world, bar none.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

With Yankees, all Ichiro has to do is get on base. Others will follow and drive him in. Ichiro is not what he used to be by far. Yankees should've got Angel Pagan.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Ichiro in the stripes. WOW!! It is a bit late in his career but NY will still see good results from the trade.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

I`m sure some of Europes elite football clubs would disagree with you.

Yeah, get back to us when one of those teams has a 100 year history with 27 league championships. The Yankees have had Broadway plays and movies made about them. (Damn Yankees, Pride of the Yankees, endless shorts about Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle) People all over the world wear Yankees caps.

Europe's elite football clubs are titans, but they're not in the same league as the Yankees. I hate the f****ers, but you have to give them their due.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

alliswellinjapan Jul. 24, 2012 - 04:30PM JST Ichiro is one smart guy. He seems to always make the right decisions at the right time. He waives his trade refusal rights just as he sees vacancy in Yankees' outfielders lineup to secure his long awaited move in the safest manner thinkable.

Ichiro is a one dumb guy. Mariners wanted to dump him and they were willing to pay Yankees most of the remaining contract for Ichiro. Ichiro is in his last year of the contract and Yankees are looking at Ichiro for a three months loan. Nobody wants Ichiro.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

fdgzdfg.... Last year Mariners had the same problem. If Mariners traded Ichiro last summer, they could've got choices of star prospects from other team in return, plus they probably didn't have to pay the most of the remaining contracts for Ichiro. Ichiro has been on decline since beginning of last year, and today his trade value has become worthless. He only batted .272 and his OBP was .310 for $18 million and he's only batting .260 this year. When you have continous two marginal years (2011 & 2012) like Ichiro had, other teams know he is on decline and they will not offer Mariners a good prospect in return. Plus they want Mariners to eat most of the contract money. Mariners should've traded him when he had more value.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

fdgzdfg...Why is Ichiro dumb, because Ichiro only thought about himself. Ichiro had a partial no-trade clause in his contract, allowing him to block deals to many teams, and Mariners had limited choices to move him to get good prospect in return. If he cared about the future of the Mariners, which has been good to him for over a decade, last summer, he would've waived the partial no-trade clause so Mariners could've had better opportunity to get better prospects in return. Ichiro was greedy and didn't give a damm for the future of Mariners.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

He tied Rose and Cobb by leading the Majors in hits seven times in his twelve years in the league so far! I didn't know that. I remember seeing him play in high school when I was living in Nagoya. He was special then, a major heart-throb! I don't really like seeing him stripes though! Hang in there Ichiro!

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I'm sure Ichiro has been holding back this year; saving his body for greener pastures -- why kill yourself on a losing team -- its like putting lipstick on a pig!

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Guess he really wants a World Series Ring now!

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

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