stutter
stutterというと「どもる、口ごもる」（"to speak with difficulty because you cannot stop yourself from repeating the first consonant of some words" --LDOCE）という意味が真っ先に浮かびますが、この見出しでは違います。
この動詞にはもうひとつ語義があり、「〈物事が〉つっかえつっかえ進行する」という意味があります。これは機械が「ガタン、ガタンと調子悪く進む」ことを表した擬態語から発展した意味です（"if a machine stutters, it keeps making little noises and does not work smoothly"--LDOCE）。（UG）
Golden Eagles pitcher Tanaka’s move to US in danger as posting fee talks stutter
At this point in the United States Major League Baseball’s (MLB) off-season, Japan’s Masahiro Tanaka is already being considered as the top free-agent pitcher available on the market.
There is danger, however, of the former Rakuten Golden Eagles pitcher’s inevitable move to the MLB being scuppered as Major league owners are reportedly having trouble agreeing with Nippon Professional Baseball on the compensation system that brings elite players from Japan to the U.S.
