MLB's foray into international markets for new players
is examined by Stefan Fatsis of the WALL STREET JOURNAL.
With the interest in foreign players, "nasty battles are
erupting between American clubs wooing the best players.
U.S. scouts are scouring Japan and some clubs are trampling
Japanese regulations. The upshot: chaos." One example is
the fight between the Padres and Yankees over pitcher Hideki
Irabu. The Padres have obtained the negotiating rights to
Irabu from his Japanese club, but he only wants to pitch for
the Yankees, who wish to sign him. A MLB panel is looking
into the dispute. Fatsis notes that "much is at stake" in
the recruitment and allocation of foreign players. For the
MLBPA, Japan free agents "would create more wealthy big-
leaguers. For baseball, ugly-Americanism could alienate the
Japanese, even as MLB tries to go global." One MLB club
president: "It's not building a bridge to the 21st century,
I can tell you that." Padres President Larry Lucchino:
"You got two billion people in Asia. The marketing
opportunities are profound. This is much broader than
plucking players from time to time to improve the mother
ship" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/21). Irabu told USA TODAY
that he will sit out a season rather than pitch for the
Padres (Rod Beaton, USA TODAY, 2/21).
