9:53pm: Jim Allen of the Kyodo News hears that the current expectation is that Ohtani will formally be posted on Dec. 2 (Twitter link). That’d give teams until Dec. 23 to strike a deal with Ohtani, based on the three-week window reported by Sherman.
5:40pm: After a lengthy negotiation period, Major League Baseball, the players’ union and Nippon Professional Baseball have reached a “tentative” agreement on a new posting system that will include this offseason and continue on into the next three offseasons, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter).
The agreement still must be ratified by the ownership of all 30 Major League teams, which won’t happen until next Friday according to Sherman. As such, the earliest that Shohei Ohtani can formally be posted for clubs will be next Friday — Dec. 1. Submarine righty Kazuhisa Makita has also requested that the Seibu Lions post him and is likely to be made available to MLB clubs by the new posting system as well.
MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweets that the rules of the previous posting system will apply for this offseason (and Ohtani and Makita). In other words, the Fighters will set the maximum $20MM posting fee for Ohtani, and any club that is willing to meet that release fee will be able to negotiate with Ohtani and his reps at CAA.
Sherman tweets that the union pushed for a shorter negotiation window for Ohtani this offseason, to which NPB consented, so teams will have 21 days to work out a deal, though Ohtani will be considered an international amateur and thus be subject to international bonus pools. The Rangers ($3.535MM) have a slight edge over the Yankees ($3.5MM) for the largest pool, followed by the Twins ($3.245MM).
Previous reports have suggested that the three sides have been brokering a system in which the NPB team that posts a player will receive a sum that is equal to a percentage of the posted player’s contract with a new team. Sticking points in negotiations have included the date range from which NPB players can be posted — the MLBPA has been pushing for a brief posting window early in the offseason so as not to impede domestic free agency — as well as the possibility of the NPB team being able to pull the player back if it is not satisfied with the contract he signs.
According to Sherman, the new posting system will not have a pullback feature. Rather, NPB agreed to scrap that feature in favor of a graduated rate of return based on the overall size of the player’s contract. The scale is as follows, per Sherman:
- For a Major League contract of $25MM or less, an NPB club would receive a sum equal to 20 percent of the contract’s total value.
- For a Major League contract of $25-50MM, an NPB club would receive a sum equal to 17.5 percent of the contract’s total value.
- For a Major League contract of $50MM or more, an NPB club would receive a sum equal to 15 percent of the contract’s total value.
That creates some interesting scenarios, as it would actually be of greater benefit for an NPB club to see its former player sign for $24.5MM than $27MM and more beneficial for a former player to sign for $49.5MM than for $57MM. Beginning next offseason, NPB clubs will have from Nov. 1 through Dec. 5 to formally post a player, and negotiation windows will last for 30 days, Sherman further tweets.
The most important takeaway from the tentative agreement, obviously, is that it now seems clear Ohtani will indeed be posted and thus made available to big league clubs. The further delay in his formal posting means that Ohtani could continue to further delay the development of the market for more expensive arms on the domestic free-agent market, but tonight’s agreement at least gets the ball rolling toward some resolution on the most intriguing international free agent in recent history.
The Ohtani jerseys are going to start coming hot off the press
He’s getting so much hype. The last player I can think who got this treatment was LeBron out of HS.
Nah yu and the guy from the Yankees were just as hot
But bc of how the system was it made it a big deal
Hell no they weren’t. Ohtani is on another level.
Dice-K had a tremendous amount of hype around him as well. This guy definitely matches or even exceeds that
i remember the mythical GYROBALL
Lol…that was hilarious. Even he didn’t know what it was. All it was I think was just a change up that broke in the opposite direction of what you would expect from a RHP. Someone was clueless, made up the term, and somehow it just ran off
It’s not even close to Lebron…
How long until he can sign?!?!?! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Going to slow down other signings big time. No team will want to spend until they see which team he chooses.
I will like to see Ohtani playing for the Texas Rangers.Lets go they have most money to offer.
nope, the story above says the Yankees have a slight edge in dollars. This was a result of their last trade.
No. It says Rangers ($3.535M) have a slight edge over the Yankees ($3.5M)
Well, I am not sure that’s true. I believe the NYY traded for extra cash yesterday and can match the Rangers offer.
Almost match
Ohtani is going where he wants to go and play. $1M or $2M isn’t going to influence him. All 30 teams will be posting for him and he will negotiate with the team he wants to play for. It’s his next contract that is going to pay him. Of course, that deal can’t be negotiated right now. Can he negotiate to be a FA when he turns 25?
He can only be offered up to $3.535M (Rangers). So 1 or 2 million is about 1/3 or 2/3 of the contract. Definitely means a lot.
Study this material carefully, it will all be on the final exam.
Haha
I thought the article was clear and yankees have the most funds. Regardless let’s see if the Twins make this happen so we have another small market team make run much like the Astros.
Competitive balance needed go twinkies!!!
I do not think so. The Rangers still have the most funds, but the Yankees are close to the amount money that Texas Rangers have. You should go back to the article or check that Rangers have like 25 thousand dollars more than the Yankees. I know this because I like the Rangers
Incorrect. The Yankees traded Garrett Cooper to the Marlins for more IFA dollars, putting them at their max of 3.75 million. The Rangers have 3.6.
Didn’t they have $3.25MM before the trade?
“Didn’t they have $3.25MM before the trade?”
Prior to any recent trades these were the teams over $300K
Rangers $3,535,000
Yankees $3.25 million
Twins $3,245,000
Pittsburgh $2,266,750
Miami $1.74 million
Seattle $1,570,500.
Philadelphia $900,000
Milwaukee $765,000
Arizona $731,250
Baltimore $660,000
Boston $462,000
Tampa Bay $440,500
What do teams like StL and CHC still have left?
They could still trade.
Twelve teams are capped at $300,000 Atlanta, the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, Cincinnati, Houston, Kansas City, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland, St. Louis, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington.
Detroit $159,500
Angels $150,000
New York Mets $105,000
Toronto $50,000
Cleveland and Colorado $10,000 apiece
Keep in mind these are also the numbers reported a few weeks ago before any trades
These totals aren’t necessarily the final totals. As was mentioned earlier the Yankees traded for $500k today. If Ohtani wants to go to the Diamondbacks, for example, they could trade for $3 million more in a series of trades. The teams that are capped at $300k per player don’t spend their entire pool because there are only so many players a team can sign that are worth $300k. So plenty of teams have money for the Diamondbacks to trade for.
I know, that is why I said before any recent trades. I hade these numbers on notepad that I never deleted. These are the ones reported just about the time the Fighters said they would post Ohtani
Actually they can’t. They are limited to acquiring 75% of their original pool money or something like that. I don’t think they can go over 4 point something million if they wanted to.
The pools range from $4.75 million to $5.75 million. A team can trade for an additional 75%.of their pool. So the Yankees could, and apparently have, gotten a pool of $8.3 million. The Diamondbacks could get a pool of $10.1 million. Of course most teams have spent a lot of their money already. The team with the highest potential is the Twins. They have over $3 million of their original pool left and could trade for another $3.9 million.
Just a question: Do the teams who dont get Ohtani get their $20 million back? Thats not chum change, like 1/5 of a team’s annual payroll
If I’m not mistaken, only the team that acquires Ohtani has to pay the fee. It’s not a $20MM fee just to talk to the guy.
correct
With this new agreement starting next season, what is to keep a team from signing a guy for the league minimum, paying out almost nothing to the NPB team, and turning around a month later and extending him for whatever amount they wanted? It seems far-fetched, and maybe there’s a rule to keep that from happening, but without it, that’s a pretty major loophole.
Multiple teams can bid for a player. I guess if the player only had one bidder, this could be a problem. But then again, if a guy only has one team interested, chances are, he’s not signing for very much.
I can’t imagine a high-profile free agent coming over from Japan signing for a comically low price, just so his acquiring team can “stick it” to the Japanese team.
Wouldnt the NPB team have to willing to post the player in the first place? Didnt the Ham Fighters have to greenlight his posting to the MLB and decide the fee they thought was appropriate?
“Ham Fighters” haha. It’s “Fighters”. Nippon Ham own the team.
lol im sure they fight for ham too ok
It’s against the rules to promise any future contract/earnings. The commissioner’s office has made it pretty clear they are watching this closely with Otani.
In light of today’s other story, a GM might not want to get a lifetime ban. But, we’ll see.
In other articles it was stated that GM’s behind the scene were saying it looks like he’s going to the Yankees after speaking to his reps
please link these articles for me or tell me where to find it please
People are grossly over-exaggerating the importance of having slightly more international spending money. It’s well publicized that Ohtani is walking away from hundreds of millions of dollars, just to come over and play in the MLB – the difference between what the Yankees, Twins etc can offer, and the rest of the league, is peanuts in comparison.
Someone who walks away from a sum of money like that, is clearly not going to be overly swayed by a few million. It’s all about the fit.
Agreed, Ohtani has already made a lot of money and is only 23 so he said the money is not as important as the fit. He is in the drivers seat and can go where ever he wants. The main thing for him is the team will have to let him hit and pitch. I hope he paves the way for more players doing this like Hunter and McKay.
Since the team I root for has less then zero shot at signing Ohtani, I guess I’m stuck just hoping he doesn’t go to the Yankees
Thanks for sharing. No despair for the Mets though. Otani has a friend who is an Uber driver in Tokyo. This buddy will provide free transportation from your home to Chityfield for 5 home games for you next year!
If the Braves approve this deal, they are incompetent. Why help the Yankees further after they just screwed you.
How did the Yankees screw the Braves?
People are assuming it will be the Yankees, Rangers, or Twins. I’m not necessarily convinced of that. If he waited a couple years, different rules would apply and he could sign for whatever a team was willing to pay him. Yes, he *might* make that difference up in endorsements, but his contract will assumedly be the standard six-year deal. Hard to make up all that difference in effectively two years (since if he’d waited, he’d still get the endorsements). All that to say that I don’t think this is purely a money decision for him; if it were, he’d probably be better served to wait. From a contract standpoint, the only advantage is that he’d hit the FA market at 29 instead of 31.
NPB weakness on the posting system makes me wonder if they have some kind of kickback arrangement where players must pay a fee based on their MLB earnings like international free agents from Cuba. Obviously this would not be advertised and enforcement of collection would be in Japan
I mean, the posting fee has now become so negligible one wonders why NPB will even want to bother posting a player like Ohtani when they can only expect to earn less than 5 million going forward, not that 20 million for Tanaka and Ohtani isnt a big step down from Daisukes 53 million
Funny how every time the Yankees are in on a top Japanese player the rules change in their favor.
This is he type of player I love. He doesn’t concern himself with money, he wants a chance to compete. I have zero problem with someone getting paid. What I admire is that he is going to let his abilities do the talking and the money will come. This kid has a confidence that you can’t fake. The team that gets him are lucky. I hope that he goes to the Rangers, but, I will root for him, no matter the jersey.
When would Ohtani not be considered an amateur? He’s leaving some serious money on the table.
If he would have waited until he was 25, he would get a big deal. He’s 23 so he’ll have six years of control like any other player. He’s probably giving up 100 million dollars (or more) right now, because he wants to be here so badly. Something you don’t see very often.
I keep hearing this 100 million being thrown around, but I feel that is an exaggeration. Japanese baseball doesn’t pay nearly as well as mlb, the top paid players there makes ~4 million USD. After 3 years in MLB he will be in arbitration, and if he is any good, he will get paid. If he signs with the top bonus, he will make close to the Same for the first two years. So the comparison is 1 hear at league minimum and three in arbitration vs 4 at whatever contract he signs. Let’s say he makes 7, 13 and 17 in arbitration, to lose 100 million he would have had to sign in two years a contract that promises an aav of 34 million. That seems highly unlikely to me.
Knowing that the Pirates have the same chance of signing Ohtani as I do, I was going to say they should trade some of their bonus money to the Rangers or Yankees, but after the Braves punishment, they should trade for some more bonus money and offer all of it to Kevin Maitan.
If Ohtani continues to insist on becoming a two-way player that would realistically have him signing exclusively with an A.L. club where he could assume a regular spot in a clubs rotation while also accumulating significant at bats as a designated hitter in between starts. It would be tough for him to be a two-way player in the NL where throwing would be required between starts at any field position including first base.
It seems to me that if the dollars are a relative non-factor with an initial bonus ceiling between 300k and 3.535M then the opportunity to become a two-way player would take precedent. The team that promises or guarantees him an opportunity to both pitch and hit regularly would be the one with the best chance of signing him.
No team in its right mind would promise let alone guarantee such a thing. It might be worth a reminder that he is 23 and has yet to see or throw a single MLB pitch. How his skills will transfer is a complete unknown to any team.
The promise of opportunity.
My best guess would be the Yankees with the realistic promise of a World Series championship not only in 2018 but for many years to come with one of the elite farm systems in MLB. They also have the advantage of New York and the ability to utilize Masahiro Tanaka as a recruiter and teammate.
My sleeper team would the White Sox. They could make a realistic promise to have a contending team full of international stars over the next decade. They could also promise Ohtani a realistic chance of something the Yankees couldn’t do: An opportunity to not only be their starting pitcher on opening day this season but also of having a reasonable chance of assuming the role of primary DH when he is not on the mound.
The Yankees can absolutely promise Ohtani the primary DH role. He only has to beat out Ellsbury…
With the White Sox, Ohtani would have to beat out Matt Davidson for the DH role! lol
Ohtani would also have a realistic opportunity to be the White Sox ace pitcher in 2018. Who would stand in his way? James Shields? lol Other pitchers of comparable age like Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez who struggled at AAA Charlotte last season while Ohtani dominated in Japan? With Carlos Rodon recovering from October shoulder surgery and not expected to take the mound until May or June, Ohtani would have a clear shot as the White Sox opening day starter.
Ohtani isn’t looking for a team with a great chance of winning the World Series in 2018. The most important thing to him is to go to a team that’ll help him be the best he can be. I assume he wants to win, but from what’s been reported he’d rather be on a team that’s not the best now and help them be the best later. His dream isn’t to win the World Series. It’s to be a great baseball player.
When you’re Stanton and have been losing every year being on a winner is important. When you’re 23, it isn’t a top criteria because you haven’t spent years losing.
Davidson can sit on the bench when Otani is in the lineup. Or he can appear at 3B or 1B (regularly if Abreu is traded).
Judge is a lock in RF and Hicks should be a lock in CF. Between LF and DH, they have Ellsbury, Gardner and C. Frazier.
Hidecki Matsui as well.
Too many are treating Ohtani as the Second Coming of the Bambino, right out of the box, just remove the ribbon. Talk about your rush to judgment. Another worthwhile reminder: even the greatest ballplayer to have ever lived had to choose between pitching and playing position. Thinking this through it’s pretty darned apparent that no team will promise Ohtani anything other than to work with him to discover where his skills will be of the most value to them in winning ballgames. Also apparent is the likelihood that he’s going to be able to accomplish what nobody else in the history of the game has ever done is pretty small.
Do you think he’s leaving millions on the table just to go to Chicago and be handed the franchise player status? Hell no! He’s coming over to challenge himself in the spotlight. To play with and against the best.
There is no way he goes to the White Sox. Quote me on that if you’d like. No chance. Yankees, Rangers, Dodgers, or Seattle.
“I’m still young so winning is not important to me yet.” – Said No One Ever.
“As long as I have enough money to be able to play baseball and am enjoying baseball, that’s all I’m asking for right now.”…..“There are still so many things I’m lacking, and I want to put myself in an environment where I can improve, Hopefully I can go to a club that suits my way of thinking.” – Ohtani 11/11/17
He wants to hit and pitch. That’s his way of thinking. Not every team is willing to offer that and he wants to play for one that does. I don’t know how you read that and think he doesn’t care about winning.
Outfield is a non-issue. Ohtani is not playing the field. C. Frazier was an emergency call up last year and will put in reps at AAA.
Ellsbury is our primary DH option. Ohtani has a spot if he wants it.
Just a reminder, pitchers still hit in the NL.
Yes, but Ohtani doesn’t have a position. He hasn’t played one in years if my memory serves me right. You can’t expect him to hit, pitch, and learn a position.
He played outfield as recently as 2014, but that’s hardly the point. The expectation that he will start every five days (one day less rest than in Japan) and DH in between, is also an extremely high expectation.
I don’t think it’s a positive that Ohtani has a realistic chance of being the best pitcher and best DH option on a ML roster in his 1st game in the majors.
The Yankees have a great young core (Judge, Severino, Sanchez, Bird, Montgomery, Green, Didi, Frazier), with one of the best farm systems in baseball (including top prospect Gleyber Torres), a history of Japanese players coming over with success (Tanaka still in the rotation, Matsui working in the FO), as much bonus money to offer as any other team, very little financial commitments going forward for the richest franchise in baseball a year before a historic free agent class, the best known international brand for endorsements, and he could live in a major city with one of the largest Japanese populations in the country.
He would get days off for sure. Probably pitch once and DH twice every 5 days.
I just can’t see him going to the NL. His value goes way down if he can’t DH in between starts. No way you risk putting him in the OF and wearing out his arm some more.
Personally I think he would be interesting as a power bullpen arm and regular DH. He wants to start though.
Can I borrow some straw because that’s a big straw man. I didn’t say winning was unimportant. I even said, “I assume he wants to win.” From what he’s said going to a top contender isn’t that important to him. He may want to help a team win, not be along for the ride.
Well I think I will let the teams do their sales pitches to the player but I will remind you that the Dodgers very nearly signed him out of high school. The Dodgers also have one of the best farm systems in baseball, a great young core, a large, multi-generational Japanese-American population, and also have a long history with Japanese players (Kuroda, Saito, Isihii, Nomo, Darvish, Maeda come to mind). The city is many flying hours closer to Japan. They also have a manager who was sort of born there. Other than that, no connections, no advantages, and of course, no chance.
meatloaf: You contradict yourself somewhat by suggesting that Ohtani would leave “millions on the table just to go to Chicago “. He’d do the same by signing with the Dodgers or Seattle among your 4 favorites to land him. Only the Rangers, Yankees and Twins can offer him in excess of a $3MM signing bonus while the Pirates can go north of $2MM.
Meatloaf – Since you have a habit of making several post to form a complete thought I was actually responding to both posts using actual quotes. He has never said he seeks the spotlight. He actually lives a quiet life. He stays in his team dorm filled with exercise equipment and fitness books. His focus is strictly on the game and proving to himself that he can be the best, hopefully, as a 2 way player. He has never stated that he only wants to go to a contending/winning team, only a team that suits his way of thinking. Those were the points of quoting him directly. I can supply more if you like?
That said, we have to admit we know very little about his way of thinking. The exercise of guessing about his thinking based on the very limited available information sounds like the classic story of the blind man describing an elephant.
I can offer the following article link from the NY Post that might help clarify some of Ohtani’s potential desires in selecting an MLB team:
nypost.com/2017/11/22/what-we-know-about-what-shoh…
Btw-My initial post that has resulted in all these comments stated that my best guess was he would sign with the Yankee which many scouts concur with. I mentioned the White Sox as my sleeper team and gave some reasons for that opinion.
This article is the same as the others on Ohtani. It clarifies nothing. In fact the only statement it makes to support an edge for the Yankees is their history with Japanese players, neatly ignoring a similar history shared with a number of other teams. Blind men describing an elephant.
This whole thing is a joke. If this one guy is holding up free agent signings than that Is ridiculous. There won’t be anyone signed until at least next week.
According to this report, team have to post $20M which I assume most will and they have 21 days to sign him. So assuming he’s posted on the 1st, teams have until the 22nd to sign him. His agents are going to be pretty busy handling the sales pitches in that 3 weeks.
He’s already a very rich young man with his salary and endorsements in Japan. He lives in a team dorm, doesn’t drive, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink and keeps his social life to a minimum. He’s a new breed of cat. Money doesn’t really interest him. Playing baseball does. The opportunity to play is important to him. I’m not sure where he’ll land but I’d be surprise if the team that pitched the most money at him won his services.
It will be interesting to watch.
I’m not sure if the article is accurate there. The way it’s worked in the past is that teams have a certain amount of time after a player is posted to submit bids. Once those bids are submitted the posting team tells the player which team or teams he can negotiate with.
This list is entirely up to the posting team and they don’t have to let him choose teams based on whoever posts the highest amount or can choose teams from the list of teams that posted the highest amount. The player can then sign a contract with any team on that list. Of course, once a player is posted an NPB’s team goal is to get the most money. So they’d like to make sure the player will sign. Otherwise they get nothing.
If the Fighters act in good faith they’ll find out which teams Ohtani has interest in and just approve those teams. Ohtani can’t really negotiate until after the Fighters have decided which team or teams have submitted an acceptable proposal.
Welcome to the Yankees!
I predict that Ohtani will sign with the Atlanta Ham Vikings of Anaheim.
The Phillies strike me as an interesting fit for Ohtani (though unlikely.)
Good nucleus of young players reaching MLB. Top-five farm system. Ridiculous payroll flexibility now and in the future – (is it a secret that they’re going to shell out over the next few yeras?) Just hired one of the most progressive managers in baseball.
I just don’t see them being able to commit to him as a two-way player. He’d help their rotation OR he’d help their lineup, but I don’t see how he could withstand the rigor of a MLB season playing both sides of the ball. (And I’m not sure being a DH helps.)
Welcome to the Yankees! I have no clue why y’all are wasting your time deliberating where Otani will sign…It’s New York, Money,Matsui recruting him AND Tanaka being there.
AND, they will sign one of Alex Cobb or Yu Darvish….Keep Frazier on a 1 year deal (awful bat/good clubhouse personality) and platoon him with Gleyber at 3rd this year…Next season-luxury tax resets. Sign Harper AND have a shot at Kershaw
I don’t think you know what a platoon is, Frazier isn’t gonna sign a one year deal to be a backup, the luxury tax isn’t going to reset if you sign Darvish and Frazier, and theres a very high chance that Kershaw isn’t leaving LAD regardless
It’s for posts like these on why other fans hate us. I expect Ohtani to be a Yankee myself but I’m not going to talk prematurely and say it’s a done deal, nor am I going to talk prematurely about signing other FA.
@MB923
You just restored my faith in the Yankee fan base
First learn how to spell Ohtani (with an h) big guy. Next Kershaw most likely will not get to free agency. Dodgers have plenty of dough too. Frazier is not going to want to platoon on a one year deal just to please you when he can get better offer elsewhere
Kershaw is the elephant in the room. If the Dodgers don’t work out an extension with him this winter, he may very well be a free agent this time next year. The Dodgers can’t let that happen but the evidence that any conversation is happening is nil.
I remember some Yankees fans saying it was a done deal they would sign Cliff Lee. Yankees even offered more money that the Phillies. Remember what happened?
This is what makes me dislike Yankee and Dodger fans. They just think everyone would be lucky to join their team. I think you’re in for a surprise when both Ohtani and Harper don’t sign there. I think it’d be hilarious to see Yankee fan reactions if Harper extended with Washington before reaching free agency. They’d probably say they didn’t want him anyways.
I’m a Yankee fan and I don’t want Harper. His contract is going to be earth shattering and if you haven’t noticed, the Yankees don’t operate the same way. They’re looking to get under the luxury tax and are led by home grown players. Harper is an unnecessary expense.
Ohtani on the other hand just makes too much sense in NY. We have a history of attracting top Japanese talents, top bonus pool money, and we have an open DH and Rotation spot with his name on it. I don’t guarantee anything, but I would be very surprised if he’s not in pinstripes next year.
Yeah, Harper is going to cost a ton. It’ll be kinda ridiculous.
And I understand what you are saying about the Yankees, but he is literally a fit anywhere. The same arguments you made can be made for any other team. I, for one, think he is perfect for Seattle. Great history with Japanese players (Ichiro, Iwakuma, Sasaki, Johjima), as well as a large Japanese population, definite rotation need, he could help them to their first championship, and he’d be on the west coast with direct flights to Japan. And, they would let him hit on days he doesn’t pitch.
But like I said, he’s going to be a fit for any team pitching. Hitting will be the same for most teams, too. Bonus pool money is going to play a very small role. If it does, Seattle has pool money too.
You’re right. Seattle is definitely a top destination. I think the top options are Yankees, Seattle, Rangers, and Dodgers.
I think you are correct with those choices too. This is going to be a very interesting month in regards to him. It will be interesting to see. A lot of dominoes will fall once he decides and Stanton gets traded. It’s going to be fun to watch.
For the record it seems like a lot more Yankee fans are claiming inevitability for signing Ohtani than what I am hearing from Dodgers fans. I can’t say Yankees fans are so wrong given that they are better positioned financially and Ohtani might prefer to play under AL rules. Either way you might want to set aside your broad brushes. Personally I’d be surprised if the Dodgers got Ohtani, and it sure isn’t for any lack of history with Japanese players.
This is unrealistic AND probably not the best way for the Yankees to spend their money anyway. I think Ohtani will come, but I don’t want Frazier, Darvish, or Cobb here.
I’d take Frazier on a 1 year deal if the payroll has room for him. Only pitchers we should be after right now are Ohtani and Sabathia (1 year).
If we can work out a Ellsbury for Ian Kennedy trade I’d be all for that. Kennedy may struggle in YS3, but he’d be nice to chew up innings.
why doesnt baseball simplify the whole draft. 2 drafts a Ametuer that will include all players american as well as international no more signing 14-16 yr olds from Latin countries. Then do away with the rule 5 draft and do a professional draft that a team can draft the rights to any player not on a 40 team roster world-wide.
Because Japan and Korea have their own professional leagues with their own drafts, and they don’t want to see all their best prospects go straight to MLB.
Otani is going to the dodgers