Possible Good News

[love_that_reefer]

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that two Japanese clubs are willing to acquire Kenshin Kawakami and cover more than half of his remaining $6.67 million salary.
Rosenthal speculates that the Yankees could be a match for Kawakami as they search for help in their starting rotation, but the Braves have been talking trade with Japanese clubs for months now. The Braves would not get a player in return if they trade him to a Japanese club, but they would probably be pretty satisfied with a little salary relief. As of now, Kawakami is off the 40-man roster and is likely to begin the season at Triple-A Gwinnett.

This was an awful deal to begin with but this could be just what the Braves have been asking for. I find it sort of wrong that the Braves can't get a player out of deal but that's just one of the many problems with the MLB/Japanese operations. Salary relief will have to do.

Other possible good news is Billy Wagner hasn't filed retirement papers.

[realmofotalk]

The Braves can't get another player in exchange because the deal is technically the sale of Kawakami's contract to a Japanese club.

[love_that_reefer]

I understand that but the Japanese aren't going to be taking on his entire salary. I think they either should take it all on or at least be able to get something else back in return. MLB teams have to pay for the rights to sign a Japanese player on top of the the player's salary but yet the Japanese can get a players for taking on just over half the salary? That seems a little unfair.