Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 642 - 8: Farewell

"Official announcement! Nearly two months after the end of the Japan Series, the 'Where is Lin Guanglai going' transfer saga has finally come to an end. With all 30 Major League Baseball teams participating in the chase and 8 top teams making it to the final discussions, in the early hours of Japan's time today, Lin Guanglai announced his final decision on his social media - this new generation leader of Japanese and Asian baseball will bring his talents to the East Coast, to the Big Apple City, to the Bronx, with the MLB's top powerhouse, the New York Yankees, ultimately winning this battle..."

"This decision means that Lin Guanglai will become the fourth Nihon Professional Baseball player in history to join the Yankees via the posting system, following Kei Igawa, Matsui Hideki, and Tanaka Masahiro - Over the next six years, this young superstar will become teammates with his former rival, Tanaka Masahiro..."

"Due to his status as an amateur player under the age of 25, Lin Guanglai can only sign a minimum salary contract with the Yankees of 545,000 US dollars per year. He can apply for salary arbitration after playing for at least 3 years. According to data provided by relevant third-party organizations, the signing bonus offered by the Yankees is about 3.5 million US dollars - a significant decrease from Lin Guanglai's earnings in Japan, but I think the player himself doesn't mind these things."

"It is reported that in the coming days, Lin Guanglai's agent team will hold detailed contract negotiations with the representatives of the Yankees. Once the posting process is officially completed, Lin Guanglai's previous team, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, will hold a farewell event for him at their home field, the Yahoo Dome;"

"Meanwhile, the player himself will head to the United States after the New Year. The Yankees also stated that they will host a signing ceremony in the Bronx for this Asian superstar after the Christmas holidays... It can be foreseen that Yankee Stadium will descend into complete celebration then."

Upon seeing this news, Dave Matranga's expression became somewhat serious, and he complained to Aaron Judge beside him, "With such a grand gesture, one would think they signed Trout. Pulling such a spectacle for someone who has never played a game in the North American system, Cashman is really outdoing himself..."

Lying on the sofa, Aaron Judge chuckled. He knew his agent was standing up for him. After all, from any angle, compared to Lin Guanglai from Japan, he should be the "true-born" Yankee, and such treatment, in Matranga's view, should be given to him.

"Dave, I know you're standing up for me, but his treatment is earned through his real performance on the field - at least compared to someone like me who is almost 25 and hasn't even played a full Major League season, his capabilities are undeniable." Judge reached out and patted Matranga beside him, trying to comfort his agent.

For Judge himself, he doesn't really care about these flashy ceremonies; more than that, he prefers to spend his time in the gym and on the practice field - After all, compared to Lin Guanglai who has dominated the Japanese baseball scene, Judge in the Major League is still just an unknown.

For the new season, his goal is to secure a starting outfield position with the Yankees, successfully join the front of the batting lineup, strive to hit more than 20 home runs in his first full season, and then as part of the Yankees, help the team go further.

"If this Lin can indeed bring us the championship gene, help us go further, or even pursue a World Series championship, then he truly deserves this kind of treatment, don't you think?"

With this, Judge suddenly stood up from the sofa, even his eyes became fervent: "I know, after A-Rod and Mark retired, many professional sports analysts don't see a bright future for us next season, some even think we won't make it to the playoffs - believe me, Dave, I, Aaron Judge, will prove those people terribly wrong with my performance!"

"That's right, Aaron, exactly - this is why I insisted on signing you!" Matranga nodded, looking at Aaron Judge with a face full of satisfaction, "Perform well next season, in my heart, you're a Hall of Fame player!"

----------------- 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Arriving once again outside the home team's locker room at Yahoo Dome, Lin Guanglai didn't rush to push the door open but just stood there looking at the doorplate, lost in his memories:

For the past four years, Yahoo Dome has been almost like his second home. It is here that he grew from a high school baseball potential star to a Major League level superstar - truly at such a time of farewell, it's impossible to say there isn't a bit of emotion in his heart.

From today onwards, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks will bid farewell to the "Lin Guanglai era" and usher in a whole new era after Lin Guanglai!

After tidying himself up, Lin Guanglai calmly pushed open the door and walked into the locker room - the moment he opened the door, he found almost all his teammates present, but the atmosphere in the locker room was very different from usual.

No music, no laughter, no high talk, or bantering between friends; everyone stood in front of their lockers, each shaking hands, hugging, and patting Lin Guanglai on the shoulder for farewells.