YankCrank wrote:

You can say you don’t want another Brackman

Regarding Brackman, I think it’s a bit unfair to write him off a year removed from TJS and his first year as a pro.

I get more of an Irabu vibe from this guy than anything else.

Corey wrote:

@ Evan3457:
I will say it because I think they should sign him. Kei Igawa doesn’t have the stuff this guy has.

But, either way. On one hand we would be fools to go in blindly and sign him on hype without kicking the tires, but, we’d also be fools to not sign him cause Igawa was a bust. Sure, you can (and should) factor in the past when making a decision about an international signing, but you also have to take each case individually or else you might miss out on someone special.

That’s fine Corey; that’s reasonable, and it could work out big-time for them. The problem is payroll limit (self-imposed) and it’s a low probability move, just because Chapman is a pitcher unproven in the major leagues.

But I can’t say you’re wrong, because I really don’t know.

@ Evan3457:
I will say it because I think they should sign him. Kei Igawa doesn’t have the stuff this guy has.

But, either way. On one hand we would be fools to go in blindly and sign him on hype without kicking the tires, but, we’d also be fools to not sign him cause Igawa was a bust. Sure, you can (and should) factor in the past when making a decision about an international signing, but you also have to take each case individually or else you might miss out on someone special.

Steve Lombardi wrote:

All well and good. You’ve made your call.

Now if the Yanks don’t sign Chapman, but the Red Sox do, and he becomes a big start for them, I don’t want to see anything here about how Cashman screwed up on this one.

I’m not saying they should sign him; I’m not saying they shouldn’t. The plain truth is: I don’t know, so I won’t blame Cashman if he guesses wrong here, either way

Chapman isn’t anything like Igawa? I guess the Yankees aren’t going to waste a bunch of money on him?

Due diligence. The Yanks would be stupid not to at least look into it. Having said that, he’ll need a couple of years in the minors to polish his game.

To be honest, players like this are complete toss-ups. Every few years there are can’t-miss, unbelievably dominating international pitchers that every team would love to have. They have all the talent in the world, all the skills but you just have no clue how it will turn out.

You can say you don’t want another Brackman, but ask the Mariners how they felt about taking a risk on an international sensation named Felix Hernandez? Ask the Red Sox if they were happy they paid big money for Dice-K who helped ensure them a 2007 title? Or, even though the money isn’t even close to comparable, if the Yanks were happy with what Orlando Hernandez did for them?

Sure, this kid can be a Brackman or a Contreras or maybe even an Igawa, but you just don’t know. With a big risk can come a big reward.

For the record, i’m not saying I want Chapman. I’m just saying I won’t be up in arms if the Yanks sign him. He has a ton of upside, and if he pans out he’ll be quite a weapon. If not, it’s wasted money. Oh well.