Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 630 - 2: Who Is Lin Guanglai? (2)

"This 18-year-old prodigy truly deserves the title of 'monster.' In his rookie season, he delivered stats akin to a triple crown winner, trailing only Tanaka in various pitching leaderboards. Subsequently, he won the Eiji Sawamura Award for three consecutive years, almost single-handedly dominating Nippon Professional Baseball. Under his leadership, his team established a dynasty with three consecutive championships—considering his success during high school, Lin Guanglai is practically a natural-born winner!"

"His stats are already astonishing, and I don't want to delve into that further; what I want to say is that as a winner, regardless of which team Lin chooses to join, his arrival will inject a new winning gene and atmosphere into that team. The presence of such a capable and ambitious player is a boon to any team."

"Considering that signing this winner only requires a compensation fee of 20 million dollars and a minor league contract, it means the investment risk is minimized. I believe that the GMs of the 30 Major League teams can't resist such temptation—in the coming period, I expect many teams to trade in order to acquire more international signing bonus pool money... let's wait and see which jersey Japan's strongest player will wear."

As Daniel Kramer, the Seattle Mariners' beat reporter, took this opportunity to express the Mariners' strong interest in Lin Guanglai:

"Back in 2012, when Lin graduated high school, the Mariners' scouting department's Executive Vice President Tom Allison led a team to Japan to express our interest—at that time, we already wanted to bring the 18-year-old Lin to the United States."

"Believe me, any praise for such a genius is not excessive: over the past four years, he has grown to be the best player outside the North American system in the world, and even in the Japan-America Exhibition Games, he can stand toe-to-toe with players like Harper, Altuve, and Pujols. Such a performance proves he definitely has the ability to excel in the Major League!"

"Over the years, as the team that places the most importance on the Japanese market, the Mariners have established good cooperation with Japanese baseball organizations, and we've brought a total of 9 Japanese stars to the Major League stage. As a Japanese-funded team invested by Nintendo, the Mariners are fully confident in making Lin Guanglai the 10th international player to move from Nippon Professional Baseball to the Major League, and we will do our utmost to help him realize his potential and become a superstar alongside Ichiro!"

"According to the latest sources, Mariners' General Manager Jerry Dipoto and Scouting Department Executive Director Jack Howell flew to Japan on a private jet yesterday, and in the coming days, they will have meetings with Lin and his agent team—signing this young star could potentially be a pivotal move that changes Mariners' history!"

Seeing the article about Lin Guanglai on his phone screen, Brian Cashman smirked dismissively, then closed the webpage and complained to Joe Girardi, who was waiting with him at the airport, "Those guys in Seattle really moved fast. I thought we should have been the first to go—look at their beat reporter acting as if Lin is already their player... "

Girardi chuckled and comforted his old partner, "So what if they negotiate first? The success of negotiations isn't decided by who arrives first. Brian, do you really think that our Yankees are inferior to a team that hasn't reached the World Series, nor made the playoffs for almost 20 years?"

Cashman shook his head, his tone a bit annoyed, "Joe, you know the Mariners are a Japanese-funded team, and Asian players generally prefer the West Coast. Moreover, they currently have several Japanese players in the team, and Nintendo as a shareholder might even make things happen behind the scenes... A dragon can't suppress a snake in its own territory, that's what worries me."

"Then tell me, when was the last time the Mariners made it to the playoffs?" Even before Cashman could speak, Girardi answered his own question, "2001, the season when they made history with the most wins! It's been 15 years since then!"

"Lin is an excellent player who doesn't hide his ambition. Would a player like him choose a team that hasn't made the playoffs in 15 years and seemingly has no future? Clearly not! So, I don't think you need to worry; the Mariners have never been our competitors..."

At this point, Girardi paused for a moment, then continued, "Compared to the Mariners, I think we should pay more attention to these teams..."

"First is the Atlanta Braves. Although their record hasn't been spectacular in recent years, they have amassed a lot of talent: Freeman, Max Fried, Albies, Swanson, Little Acuna, Austin Riley... The potential of this lineup is enormous. If they get Lin, I have no doubt they could dominate the National League for many years, and they can offer twice the signing bonus as us—compared to them, our only advantages are the Yankees' reputation and the American League's designated hitter rule."

"I remember Lin's agent team said he's not ruling out the possibility of playing in the National League?" Hearing their coach's analysis, Cashman frowned, deep in thought.

Girardi shrugged helplessly, replying, "Yes, that's why I say they're our biggest competitors... Besides Tanaka's persuasion, we need to offer Lin and his agent team more future prospects!"

"Signing bonus isn't a problem. I've asked the department to calculate it, and a few trades are in progress. It's expected we'll free up around 3.5 million..." Cashman waved his hand, then continued to ask, "Besides the Braves, who are our main competitors?"

"The Indians reportedly have a lot of interest too. After all, they just lost to the Cubs 3-4 in the World Series this season and desperately need a boost to seize another championship chance. I think Lin wouldn't refuse an invitation from a World Series runner-up..."

"But..." Girardi smiled without saying more.

Cashman thought for a moment, then also smiled, "Cleveland is just an unpromising place, nowhere comparable to New York, except for LeBron, and I can't imagine any star would choose to join a team there voluntarily."

"Are there any other teams?" Cashman pursued.

"Then there are our arch-rivals, the Red Sox. Farrell reportedly became fond of Lin during a team visit to Japan and strongly recommended signing him. Moreover, the Red Sox have an advantage we don't—they have Matsuzaka Daisuke personally lobbying... The remaining signing bonus pool for the Red Sox should be similar to ours, so there shouldn't be much difference in terms. The only promise we can make is a broader future..."

"Actually, apart from these few teams with better chances, most teams have sent teams to Japan—even knowing they have little chance, many teams will still try, as those reporters say, being able to get a player of this caliber for $20 million plus a minor league contract is practically a steal."

As he said this, the previously relaxed look on Girardi's face gradually hardened, "It seems we have many competitors for this trip to Japan..."

"Yes." Brian Cashman's voice was firm, "But don't forget, Joe—we are the New York Yankees."

"The Yankees never fear any challenge or competition."