Sluggin' Sammy Sosa to Japan?

UPDATE:  I apologize for the bad link.  The link now works.  Here is also an update from Japan Baseball Daily.  The Bay Stars were apparently not amused.

According to an interview in Chunichi Sports, an unnamed player personnel official with the Yokohama Bay Stars called a recent attempt by Sosa's agent to get him a roster spot with the team for a $500,000 salary as endeavoring "to perpetrate fraud on us."

In addition, the bigwig expressed strong doubts about the former Cub's character. Alluding to the still unproven rumor that Sosa took steroids as well as the corked bat incident, he smirked, "guys who use performance enhancing drugs and break the rules aren't real sportsmen."

 He then elaborated, "besides, he's fat now. Where would we play him? He would probably go home in two months."

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Interesting speculation here in the Japan Times concerning former MLB slugger Sammy Sosa.  Might Sosa, who says he is getting in playing shape, be playing ball in Japan next season?  The speculation centers around the Yokohama BayStars giving Sosa a go.

Recall in the Nov. 26 column I mentioned the report about the possibility of Sammy Sosa being considered for employment by the Chunichi Dragons? Rumors about Slammin' Sammy coming here were revived during the holidays, now involving another Central League club.

Japanese sports papers linked the former major-league slugger with the Yokohama BayStars, and there is no doubt a player with Sosa's name would be a huge draw here. The articles played up the fact he's hit 588 home runs in the big leagues, including seasons where hit he 66 (1998) and 63 ('99).

A proposed salary figure mentioned in the press articles was 500 million yen (about $ 4.2 million) for one season. If the 'Stars, or another Japanese club, go ahead and sign Sosa, the team would naturally be counting on the fact he would play every day and provide huge interest that would mean increased attendance, such as the Yakult Swallows enjoyed when major-league superstar Bob Horner joined them in 1987.

Horner hit five home runs in his first week playing for Yakult, and the Swallows immediately got a deluge of publicity that led to big crowds at Tokyo's Jingu Stadium, and the extra ticket sales revenue for two three-game series at home probably paid Horner's salary for the whole year.

Sammy Sosa playing in Japan? Interesting idea, and I'd like to see it but, despite what the papers are saying, it seems like a long shot.

Sammy Sosa presents a large problem for American MLB.  His home run totals are even higher than Mark McGwire, who was given a steroid-sized snub by the baseball writers ( we break that down in the link) just yesterday.  Not only is Sosa under suspicion for PEDs, but he was caught with a corked bat.

However, Sosa never tested positive for any PED.  He denies steroid/drug use. There are no accounts of another player shooting him up, as with Jose Canseco telling on McGwire.  The speculation on Sosa centers on his muscular growth, and the skull enlargement, hallmark of Growth Hormone, the hardest PED to trace.

Comments

[David Pinto]

Your link is a good one, but not the one you intended.

[Gary Garland]

Unfortunately, that report is completely false. According to Chunichi Sports, the Bay Stars player personnel people laughed off the idea by scorching Sosa like nobody's business. See my site for details. And the salary offer was $500,000, not $5 million.

Sosa's possibility of going to Chunichi became a non-starter when they signed Korean outfielder Byung-kyu Lee.

[grg51]

I updated the link. Sounds like Sosa isn't going to Japan soon, huh?

thanks