Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 631 - 3: Multiple Teams Competing and Cooperating
Looking at the table full of interview requests, Nomura Katsuhiko, even though he has seen much and handled numerous bids before, showed a hint of surprise on his face.
Since Lin Guanglai announced his bid, he had anticipated that his client would be eagerly pursued by Major League teams, but the current situation far exceeded his expectations—
Regardless of strength or market size, representatives from all 30 Major League Baseball teams submitted their written reports, expressing their intention to contend for Lin Guanglai!
"Indeed, 20 million USD is no obstacle at all for Major League teams; even those top-tier frugal small-market teams are willing to gamble on such a deal. Without a doubt, right now Guanglai is a hot commodity, everyone wants a piece... Since this is the case, as an agent, I must seize this opportunity to strive for greater benefits!"
Nomura Katsuhiko constantly tapped the tabletop with his knuckles, while his other hand stroked his chin, devising his negotiation strategy for the upcoming talks.
Due to the restrictions of his under-25 international amateur status, Lin Guanglai can only sign a minor league contract, and after three years in the Major League can arbitration be proposed, so there's no room for negotiation in this aspect;
Moreover, Lin Guanglai had repeatedly stated privately to him, the agent, that as long as the team can offer enough prospects, the amount of signing bonus is likewise not an issue;
Given this, the aspects left to negotiate seem to be limited to issues like team positioning, usage, and future prospects.
The negotiation period for the bid is only 45 days, and Lin Guanglai definitely cannot and does not have the energy to negotiate with every team; so as the agent, his urgent task is to select a batch of quality candidates based on the player's preferences and then take time to negotiate thoroughly with these teams...
Having a rough outline in mind, Nomura Katsuhiko nodded, quickly took out his phone, and dialed his subordinate:
"Notify the representatives of the interested teams and tell them we need to do some screening of the teams first; only those teams recognized by the player can proceed to the meeting plan, just do it that way..."
"What? You're worried those Americans might have opinions? Get clear on one thing, right now it's the Americans begging us, wanting to sign our player. If they don't even have the heart to submit a written report, they might as well not come!"
"Listen to me on this matter, if they want the qualification for face-to-face negotiation, they must first submit a written report, addressing the issues we've previously set—uh-huh, I'm giving them a week, next week Guanglai will return to Tokyo, and before that, I will communicate with the player, and select the final team list."
After hanging up the phone, Nomura Katsuhiko looked once more at the pile of written applications in front of him and couldn't help but smile, feeling a long-lost sense of satisfaction welling up inside.
When was the last time he was this happy and satisfied? Was it when he signed Eishaku Toyoda, one of Japan's best pitchers at the time, and began his agent career? Or when he and Nomo Hideo agreed effortlessly, using forced retirement to take him to Los Angeles? Or perhaps when he helped Iribu Hideki in 1996 to forcefully designate Yankees as the next team, directly promoting the establishment of the bidding system?
Nomura Katsuhiko shook his head; he himself wasn't sure; but one thing he was certain of: that this transaction with Lin Guanglai will be the most magnificent deal in his 30-plus years as a professional agent!
Meanwhile, Lin Guanglai, as the focus of attention during the offseason, had a rare chance to steal some leisure amid busyness.
"Justice, congratulations, you're a professional athlete now."
Looking at Tanaka Justice in front of him, Lin Guanglai's memories were instantly pulled back to the summer of his high school years, especially when seeing his former junior, making him feel more nostalgic.
Tanaka Justice scratched his head, somewhat sheepishly replying to Lin Guanglai: "Oh no, compared to you, I'm still far behind—just a pity there's no chance to fight alongside you again, it's quite regrettable..."
Having just graduated from university this year, Tanaka Justice had matured considerably, his appearance shedding the youthful greenness remembered by Lin Guanglai—in the past four years, representing Waseda University in the Tokyo Six University Baseball League, he has been one of Japan's most sought-after college pitchers.
Tanaka Justice not only demonstrated excellent leadership, consistently leading the team into the final four, but also pitched shutouts against NPB select teams in matches, even reaching a ball speed of 155 km/h in his senior year, attracting attention from multiple professional teams.
At the 2016 draft meeting, he also received first-round selections from five teams, including Yomiuri Giants and Hiroshima Toyo; and ultimately his immediate power pitcher was picked by SoftBank Team, who are urgently looking to strengthen their rotation this offseason. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
For SoftBank Team, there are many things to do this offseason: losing Lin Guanglai is equivalent to losing a pitcher of five championships caliber and a batter who can steady hit over 30 home runs in a single season, such a gap is not something that can be filled quickly or replaced by simply one or two players;
