Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 634 - 4: In-Depth Negotiations (Part 1)_2
"Guanglai, as someone who has lived in Seattle for a number of years, I can tell you from my own experience that everything Scott and Tom have said is true; Seattle truly is a very comfortable place that allows you to fully immerse yourself in training and competition." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"The first time I went to Seattle, all my anxieties disappeared the moment I got off the plane—whether it's from the restaurants to the community, from the ballparks to the residences, from the climate to the culture, you can find a sense of life akin to that in Japan."
Following Iwakuma Hisashi, Tom Allison spoke again, attempting from an emotional angle to earn some additional advantage: "Perhaps we indeed cannot offer the highest signing bonus, but the Mariners can give you everything you need to succeed—come on, come to Seattle, Lin, and let us make up for the regrets of four years ago. Lead the Mariners to higher dimensions!"
Sitting directly opposite Allison, Lin Guanglai could feel the fervent emotion in his words and knew that the Mariners truly put forth everything they could to attract him to join.
To be honest, if I were still just a so-called "unfinished player" or hadn't set so many records and garnered so many honors in Nippon Professional Baseball, the Mariners would indeed be a great destination:
A small market like this would mean I wouldn't have to face too much media hassle and would have ample space to showcase my talents. Even if in six years I couldn't lead the team to great achievements, nobody would blame me when I leave.
But how to say, after sweeping through Nippon Professional Baseball and achieving multiple grand slams within Japan, the platform the Seattle Mariners can offer is somewhat unsatisfactory for Lin Guanglai;
What he desires is not just personal statistics, but to seize all personal and team honors—in this respect, the platform the Mariners offer is too small.
Both sides continued to discuss related topics for a while, the entire conversation lasting almost an hour;
Although Allison and Servais painted their prospects in glowing terms, with Iwakuma Hisashi occasionally adding his perspective from a player's point of view, most of the time Lin Guanglai only nodded noncommittally, leaving the representatives of the Mariners unsure of how interested the player really was.
After the three left, Nomura Katsuhiko beside Lin Guanglai asked, "The Seattle Mariners seem to be very sincere, Guanglai, what do you think?"
Sighing deeply, Lin Guanglai shook his head, "The Mariners' sincerity is indeed genuine, but how to put it, on one hand their platform is too small, and on the other, the team doesn't have as much potential to tap into as other teams... Moreover, Mr. Tuan, did you notice? Regarding the topic of the team's future building, they couldn't even delve deeply into it. How can I easily commit my next six years to such a team?"
"So, your intention is...?"
"The Mariners, let's rule them out for now." Lin Guanglai's tone was resolute, clearly having made up his mind.
Receiving a clear indication from the player himself, Nomura Katsuhiko said no more; he looked at the schedule in his hand, and announced loudly, "Since the Mariners are out, let's take a break and meet the next team."
"Who is the next team?" Lin Guanglai asked.
"The San Francisco Giants, they can offer a signing bonus exceeding 4 million, and reportedly, to show their importance to you, they brought someone very special on this trip to Japan..."
"Who?"
"You'll find out soon; let me keep a little suspense," Nomura Katsuhiko smiled and shook his head, leaving a mystery.
When the vehicle carrying the San Francisco Giants' signing team appeared at the negotiation site, the surrounding journalists swarmed towards them, and this time, the scene was even more intense than when it was the Mariners, almost Japan's "national team," visiting.
You can't blame the reporters and media for being so excited, mainly because the San Francisco Giants have made quite a splash in recent years:
Starting with their 4-1 victory over the Texas Rangers in the 2010 World Series, the San Francisco Giants clinched the World Series three times within five years, creating the miracle of the "even-year dynasty," undeniably a super team;
Within their lineup, they have stars such as Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, and Brandon Crawford, making their roster glittering with stardom.
If what the Mariners promise is a vague future, the Giants need not do anything—because their current lineup represents one of the top combat strengths in the MLB.
The first to step out of the car was the Giants' head coach Bruce Bochy, who is one of the few in MLB history to have reached 1,500 wins and has the opportunity to aim for 2,000 wins as a top coach. Accompanying him was a translator brought by the Giants.
Just as the Japanese media was about to lament that the Giants weren't showing enough significance to Lin Guanglai, having only sent Bochy to the scene, the next moment, a face incredibly familiar to everyone in baseball appeared, instantly igniting the entire atmosphere—
Buster Posey, the bona fide catcher and soul of the San Francisco Giants: MVP, Golden Glove, Silver Slugger, Fielding Bible... there isn't an award for catchers that Posey hasn't won;
Additionally, his superb defensive skills and ability to guide pitching have earned him accolades from many ace pitchers. He is recognized as the strongest catcher of the 2010s and even ranks in the top ten historically. No pitcher could refuse the opportunity to partner with Posey.
When meeting with Lin Guanglai, Posey was also the first to speak:
"Lin, as a catcher, I've studied your game footage. To be honest, I've never seen a pitcher at your age with such pitching wisdom and an elite calm under pressure, not even Madison and Tim."
"Come to San Francisco, join us. Here, we can devise game plans together, and your forkball will realize 120% of its potential—imagine having a catcher who can fully understand your intentions and precisely execute them. I can secure every good pitch for you and steal every borderline pitch. Behind you, there is also a Golden Glove level shortstop like Brandon. We will be invulnerable."
And Bruce Bochy, the legendary coach, also expressed his desire for Lin Guanglai:
"Lin, unlike teams that need you to wait for the future, the Giants never promise you a nebulous future. We only give you the present—I can confidently say that, in the past few years, the Giants have been the most stable and powerful team in the entire league. Our locker room has a top-notch culture, our players know how to pursue and achieve victory. They will help you adapt to Major League Baseball, and you will become the top player here!"
"Regarding the Dual Swordsmanship, we fully accept it, and although there's no DH rule in the National League, the right field of Oracle Park is practically tailor-made for you—the Pacific Ocean breeze and the high wall in the right field are enough to solve most defensive problems you might encounter; and when you step into the batter's box, we hope you can help the team with medium-to-long distance hits."
"With the Giants, you, Madison, and Tim are the top pitchers. The iron wall you establish is enough to block any team's offensive line, and with Buster's defense, no team would want to face us—especially come October or even November short series, aside from injuries, I can't think of anything that could defeat us!"
"San Francisco is also a world-class stage, the jewel of the West Coast and California; it also has a large and mature Asian community that can bring you top-tier global exposure—coming to San Francisco, your commercial value can be further enhanced, and if you can achieve great things at Oracle Park, you will become, like Buster and Stephen Curry, a symbol of this city!"
"Lin, I swear by my over 20 years as a Major League coach, there is boundless talent and top-level flair in you—you established a dynasty in Japan, now come to San Francisco, let us create a brand-new dynasty together once more!"
