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The Future of Major League Baseball, Far-East Talent Pool

Guest contribution by a loyal reader of SportsAgentBlog.com, Brent DeCoster

With the recent report coming out of Boston that the Red Sox have agreed to a three year deal, worth about $3 million with Japanese pitcher Junichi Tazawa, is it finally time to start paying closer attention to the impact of Asian-born players on America’s pastime?

There have been players including the likes of Ichiro, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideo Nomo, and Hideki Matsui to name a few, that all had immediate success within Major League Baseball.  With high profile teams like the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees reaching deep into their pockets for young Japanese talent, and even the small payroll organizations like the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays looking to add a spark to their club’s lineup, it seems like major league organizations are willing to take a chance on far-east talent.

There is no rule that currently prevents major league teams from pursuing Japanese amateur ballplayers, however following Tazawa choice to forgo Japan’s draft, Japanese professional teams have reached an agreement that places a ban on players who attempt to return to Japan to play professionally once said players opt to play overseas.

Before agreeing to terms with the Red Sox, the 22-year-old flame thrower received attention from other major league clubs including the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers, but rejected their offers.  It will be interesting to watch the development of Tazawa and ultimately see what kind of impact he makes on Major League Baseball compared to Ichiro, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and the other Asian-born players.

I also think it is worth noting that there will be many questions that arise as a result of these Asian players making an impact on American baseball.  Are major league teams going to look to Asia as the next Latin America in terms of talent?  What will happen as a result to the Asian professional leagues as more and more of their players come to America?  Is a team eventually going to go as far into looking to hire an Asian manager?

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

2 replies on “The Future of Major League Baseball, Far-East Talent Pool”

This is a great article. I think professional baseball in America is definetely looking more into the Asian born talent in hopes of getting them to play here. As a result I think the Asian professional leagues will fold because of the top talent coming to play here in America.

The MLB’s failure to recruit young ballplayers from many Asian countries, Japan in particular, may have less to do with ignorance of talent and more to do with an unspoken “gentleman’s agreement” that, until now it seems, existed between MLB and baseball organizations in those countries. A recent article by The Boston Herald’s Sean McAdam looks at the current controversy. If you have a moment, it is worth a quick read.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view.bg?articleid=1136958&srvc=rss

After reading this article, I would like to know: Was Boston right to go ahead and sign Tazawa?

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