Sayonara Rasner

Shysterball sent me this last night. I know Rasner was never going to be a long term part of the Yanks rotation, but I would have liked to see him hang around a bit longer.

Right-handed pitcher Darrell Rasner, who started 20 games for the New York Yankees last season, has been sold to a team in Japan for $1 million, his agent said.

Rasner, 27, expects to sign a two-year deal with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Pacific League, agent Matt Sosnick said.

Sosnick said he and Rasner recently approached New York general manager Brian Cashman and told him that Rasner would like to pitch in Japan, and that Cashman and scout Hiroshi Abei helped facilitate the deal.

The rationale for asking for the trade: He simply has greater earning power in Japan than here. Can't say I disagree, though that's a tough call to make. But with a rare skill (pitching) that only has a (relative) few years of useful life, he's got to capitalize on it while he can. If he can go make $5-10million in Japan over 2-3 years, he will have provided a fair degree of security for his family. I wish him well.

MLBTradeRumors provided the zinger:

The cash from this deal would provide 0.7% of the money needed for the contract that has been offered to CC Sabathia.

From my interview with Rasner earlier this year:

IIATMS: What was it like stepping on the field as a major leaguer for the first time? At Yankee Stadium?
DR: Neither one was such a jolt that I forgot about my primary goal, which was to get guys out. The first game that I played as a big leaguer made all of the long, lousy bus rides in the minors worth while. Yankee Stadium has such a history that I know how amazing it is to be playing on the same field and for the same team as Ruth and Gehrig.