The Key to Fixing the Yankees' Kei Igawa

I'm not one to criticize the Yankees, but here's a move that I find questionable. They purchased Kei Igawa from the Seibu Lions in Japan. It was a gamble, just like the Red Sox acquisition of Daisuke Matsuzaka, but it did not pay off. The Yankees locked up Kei to a five year 20 million dollar deal in late 2006. The Yankees need to do something to relinquish that contract to Kei. I respect the man fully and his commitment to the game.  I probably couldn't perform on the mound anything like he can. However, Igawa is not major league material.  He wasn't able to make the transition from Japan to the majors. It's actually a little surprising considering that his and Daisuke's numbers weren't too far off in the Japanese league.  My prediction was pretty accurate last year for Daisuke, but I was way off on Igawa.  I estimated he'd have a mid-four ERA and a record of 14-9. Obviously this was a mistake. Unless he makes some drastic change, I see no reason for keeping him around. ... [link]