Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 637 - 6: In-Depth Talks (Part 2)

"We've already finished interviews with six teams, leaving only the Dodgers and the Yankees... After these past couple of days, Guanglai, what do you think?" asked Nomura Katsuhiko, glancing at the report in his hand and turning to Lin Guanglai beside him.

Lin Guanglai pondered for a moment with his head down before slowly replying, "Let's eliminate the Padres right away. Their lineup is too weak in both strength and talent, and their market isn't large either; it's not really a great destination."

"The prospects shown by the Red Sox and the Rangers are quite good, with Boston and Arlington both being considered favorable destinations. Both teams also have experience with signing Asian and Japanese players. If I had to choose between the two... I might prioritize the Red Sox higher."

"After all, compared to the Red Sox's clear age structure in their lineup, although the Rangers are strong now, most of their key players are 70s and even 80s born, with players like Shin-Soo Choo and Beltre nearing retirement... Moreover, I would quite like to play with Mookie Betts of the Red Sox; he's an outstanding player, and I've heard he's a pretty nice guy too."

"It's just that..." Upon mentioning the Boston Red Sox, Lin Guanglai's voice suddenly paused.

"Just what?" Nomura Katsuhiko pursued further.

"Just that the Red Sox's financial commitment in recent years does give me some worries," Lin Guanglai confided to Nomura Katsuhiko, "It's well-known that any sports project aiming for a championship requires spending money—although there are teams like the Athletics in the Major League who have built dynasties through data analytics, in today's increasingly commercialized world, whether a team can be a strong contender basically depends on who spends more money and who is more willing to spend."

"Just like why our Softbank Team managed to achieve a three-peat? It's because the parent company is willing to invest in the team regardless of cost, not only attracting stars from free-agent markets but also allowing even our second and third team players to train without financial worries, unlike other teams where players are troubled by livelihoods."

"The Red Sox is indeed one of the top clubs in the United States, but their parent company, the Fenway Group, doesn't have the best reputation... I have a friend who's a Liverpool fan, and in our chats, he's often complained about Fenway's stinginess; plus, I've read the material you gave me, Mr. Tuan, and ever since breaking the Curse of the Holy Infant, the Red Sox have been cutting team budgets annually to avoid high luxury tax penalties. It's said that the bonus contracts of core players like Betts will expire in two years, and I'm really afraid they might trade Betts to avoid taxes."

Nomura Katsuhiko, however, had a different view from Lin Guanglai, for in his opinion, as one of the top outfielders in the Major League at the moment, a player like Betts is bound to be a critical asset to any team, and he couldn't think of any reason the Red Sox would let go of Betts; of course, since his client expressed such concerns, he could only respect the player's opinion.

Thus, Nomura Katsuhiko cautiously probed, "So, Guanglai, what are your current thoughts...?"

"Among the six teams that have completed interviews, let me give a simple ranking: Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres are temporarily ruled out. Among the remaining four teams, the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves can be placed at the highest level of interest, the Boston Red Sox a half step behind, and the Texas Rangers another half step behind, that's roughly the ranking," Lin Guanglai contemplated for a while and presented his current expectations.

Nomura Katsuhiko nodded, indicating his understanding. He then reminded, "Then, with only the Dodgers and Yankees left, I wonder what conditions and prospects they can offer..."

The reason for scheduling the Dodgers and Yankees on the last day was a bit of a tactic by Nomura Katsuhiko:

Both Los Angeles and New York are the largest, grandest, and most visible metropolitan areas in the U.S. and globally, and any player working here can immediately see a surge in commercial value;

Both the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are among the top Major League Baseball clubs, ranking first and second in World Series championships and are perennial championship contenders, with top-notch players consistently in their roster;

What's more, neither the Steinbrenner family managing the Yankees nor the Guggenheim Group owning the Dodgers is reluctant to invest in their teams, consistently being heavy luxury tax payers, ready to join the competition decisively whenever superstar players appear on the market.

It can be said that if Lin Guanglai decides to bring his talent to the U.S., to the Major League, then this level of a team would be his best home.

This point is evident from the number of media gathered early on the third morning at the negotiation location: Just when it seemed the scene in the past two days was large enough, on the day of the Dodgers and Yankees' negotiations, the number of media on-site seeking the latest news surged by two to three times.