2:53pm: FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that, unsurprisingly, the Fighters will set the posting fee for Ohtani at the $20MM maximum. However, while MLB will sign off on the deal, Heyman notes that the Players Association still has some issues to work through before it will also sign off. Among their concerns, per Heyman, is the fact that the Fighters will recoup $20MM for Ohtani while the player himself stands to be paid only a mere fraction of that amount.
Heyman doesn’t suggest that the Union’s concerns will necessarily jeopardize Ohtani’s ability to make the jump to the Majors or that they could lead to a significant alteration in the current structure of the posting system. It’s unclear when the MLBPA will ultimately sign off, but it seems that their trepidation could delay the process to some extent.
7:13am: The Nippon Ham Fighters announced that they will allow star pitcher/slugger Shohei Ohtani* to come to the majors via the posting system, as the Japan Times was among the outlets to report.
That does not quite make things official, as Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball continue to try to sort out the rules that will govern the move. The effort had come into some notable difficulties, though Ohtani’s decision to hire a MLB Player’s Association-certified agent was expected to . And it seems the two leagues, at least, have reached agreement on a framework that could help facilitate Ohtani’s move — so long as his representatives, the MLBPA, and the Fighters are all on board.
At a minimum, today’s news seemingly formalizes the Fighters’ commitment to allowing Ohtani to depart. “Everyone in our ballclub accepts his thoughts,” said Fighters skipper Hideki Kuriyama. That also figures to ratchet up the expectations and the pressures on all other interested parties, helping to maintain momentum toward a finalization of talks — which will only represent the beginning of what could be a fascinating process.
[Related: Scouting Shohei Ohtani]
None of the talks will address Ohtani’s own earning capacity, which will be quite slight — at least on his way into the league. That’s the major reason that he promises to be the most widely pursued player ever to hit the open market. With only a few clubs even able to offer him more than $1MM in a bonus, the decision will surely come down to other factors, the precise nature of which — hitting opportunities? geography? comfort? promotional opportunities? promises of a future extension? — remain to be learned.
*Astute readers will note that MLBTR has now adopted a new spelling. Previously, for a variety of reasons, we utilized the anglicization “Otani.” We have now confirmed, however, that the spelling “Ohtani” is the formal spelling likely to be utilized in his potential transition to the majors.
bigballerbrand99
And so it begins…
preauto
Rangers
Pasquale Salvatore
Rangers or Yankees they can offer him the most money.
justinept
Why do people think this is about money? If it was about money, he’d wait two years. But hey, if you really think that an extra $2 million is going to make a difference for a guy that’s already sacrificing $50+ million, then ok…
Snackalytics
It’s more like $10 million. Is that not a lot of money?
justinept
Where do you get $10 million? The $3.57 million the Rangers can pay Otani is a one-time signing bonus. It’s not an annual salary. And that’s the most he can make. From there, he’ll follow the same rules as every other minor leaguer… he gets paid based on the level he’s at, and then must accrue three years of service time before hitting free agency.
Truthfully, the $50+ million projection I suggested he gave up was low. If he had waited two years, he could’ve gotten a huge guarantee, hit free agency four years later, and cashed in again. As it is, he’s got little chance to hit free agency again until 2024 because there’s no way a team is going to trot him out on opening day and let his clock start ticking when they don’t have to.
Cat Mando
Where do you get $10 million?
justinept
*three years of service time before hitting arbitration. Six years before free agency.
justinept
*three years before arbitration. Whoops. Typed too fast there.
timm-2
10.1 million I believe is the most you are allowed to have if you spend nothing on international free agents.
and to the post above yours the team that gets him will have his rights for 7 years once he reaches the majors, not three years. A team can give up their rights and contractually agree to not offer arbitration making the player a free agent sooner. I believe this is what the Yankees did with Matsui
justinept
No team has $10.1 million right now. And I corrected the 3 years statement already. I was clearly referring to his arbitration. Also- it’s 6 years of service time before free agency. But since most teams wait to promote prospects, it can be almost 7 full seasons before they hit FA
Cat Mando
No team has $10.1MM right now so that point is moot.
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).
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).
justinept
I don’t believe this is allowed any longer, at least in the case of amateurs. Can’t find the Rule, but the new posting system (along with the age specifications) was strictly created to put international players on the same economic level as domestic prospects. Further, teams have been warned about circumventing the CBA to sign this kid.
Cat Mando
@justinept…sorry I seem to be posting the same as you and you keep beating me too it. As to your point about $$ not being the main factor for Ohtani…in his own words….“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.” He makes about $2mm a year now but lives in the team dorms and spends the $1,000/month he has his parents send him on fitness books & equipment and food. He doesn’t know how to drive, doesn’t own a car and won’t even go to a party where there is alcohol. He is not the “typical” ballplayer.
He will sign where he feels comfortable and needed….and of course where he is allowed to pitch and hit.
justinept
Agreed. But the pitch and hit thing is overrated. Every team will allow him to try both at this point because the monetary investment won’t be great enough to “protect” him. Now, if some team paid him $100+ million (which they can’t), then they’d clearly want to minimize the injury risk that came with doing both.
My personal thoughts, though, is that he won’t be able to do both. There’s too much time that goes into being great at one thing. There aren’t enough hours in the day for this guy to develop a mastery of the hitters and pitchers in the league
Cat Mando
It will be interesting for sure. He wants to prove he can do it but in Japan every team take one day off a week, there are no 5 and a half hour redeye flights and jet lag. It is a different game here for sure. I just have a gut feeling that if anyone can do it he will.
Sheep8
He’s not coming here to go to the minors!
Sheep8
I hope he doesn’t own a car if he can’t drive!
justinept
He has no choice but to sign a minor league contract. A team can promise if he’ll start in the big leagues, but they can’t put that wording into a minor league contract. So if a team wants to send him the minors, they can.
Cat Mando
@ Sheep8 He doesn’t
BlueSkyLA
I keep hearing this theory that he’ll come too cheaply for a MLB team to be interested in protecting his health. That just doesn’t make any sense to me. Teams work to protect all of their prospects, especially their top prospects, both in the minors, and as they transition to the majors. Pitchers are especially well-protected. I would expect no less careful treatment of Ohtani and perhaps more so because of his special status,
justinept
Maybe we’re talking about different things? When it comes to pitch count, sure, they aren’t going to go crazy and let him throw 120 pitches. Im more so referring to the everyday risk of movement. He’s at a somewhat greater risk of injury if he does both simply because he’d be doing more…
BlueSkyLA
I don’t think we’re talking about much of anything different. No matter where he lands in MLB he’ll be making a big transition, a significant challenge for most players coming from Japan. Probably I don’t have to list all the factors, they are well known. In his case it will be an even larger set of challenges if he’s allowed to play here in the same capacity as he was in Japan. I doubt any team would be willing to throw him into that deep water just to see what happens and especially not a team in contention. So much depends on what the player wants, and about that we just don’t really know much yet.
Gwynning's Anal Lover
Nope
joemoes
Darvish just bashed the Rangers I doubt he goes there
CursedRangers
Darvish just posted on twitter today that he was glad to be at home sweet home. It was in reference to him being back in Arlington
BlueSkyLA
Millions in LA could post the same sigh of relief.
Kayrall
“___ is obviously the best fit because of {Japanese Relations} and he can {outfield or DH} and money {does or doesn’t} matter.”
alexgordonbeckham
He actually hasn’t played OF since 2014. I feel like teams won’t play him in the OF.
Stevil
Though he hasn’t been used in the outfield recently, there’s a good chance he would play there if he were to land in Seattle or San Diego. Seattle has a need for an outfielder and already has an elite DH in Cruz. San Diego has 1B locked up with Myers and obviously doesn’t have a DH.
dvmwitt
I bet Preller would be glad to move Myers to LF if he could get Otani (not happening)
Gwynning's Anal Lover
Mets (but I don’t think he’s going there)
Yankster 2
Definitely a NY Yankee !
thegreatcerealfamine
He should have signed with Jay-Z roc nation to make his move to NY that much smoother.
bastros88
isn’t he the agent of Curtis Granderson hahaha
thegreatcerealfamine
Robinson Canoe for one…
What’s your point?
dudeness88
Robison Canoe. I like that one.
dudeness88
haha..Robison.
thegreatcerealfamine
What are you even talking about?
dudeness88
u said Canoe and i said Robison by mistake.. nevermind. attention to detail is hard sometimes.
xabial
I think he’s laughing at himself because while making fun of you for spelling “Canoe” he spelled “Robison”, thus making himself a hypocrite.
Too bad. He had you good. ^^^
RazorRamonie
Robinson Cano, lol that was great, i enjoyed that laugh
thegreatcerealfamine
Then you’re truly a simple person!!!
BadlyBent
If you like simple…what is a ham fighter? Are they vegetarians? Or Are they like foo fighters?
thegreatcerealfamine
Dave Grohl has that answer and many more…
Capn
Good to see that somewhere in the world humans and “the right thing” are valued over contracts and money.
Gnotorious
Otani was originally going to skip NPB and come to the states out of HS. The Ham Fighters drafted him #1 anyway and was able to work out deal. Many speculated that part of the agreement was to post him when he asked.
CursedRangers
Agreed. It is refreshing to see this.
philsphan1979
I am not a Yankees fan by any means, but I am almost certain that’s where he ends up. Can you imagine if they trade for Stanton AND sign Ohtani with the team they currently have? It wouldn’t even be fair for other teams across the league
antibelt
They need more starting pitching. Not sure how Stanton plays into that.
bronxbombers
They’d have
Sevy
Gray
Tanaka
Otani
Montgomery
Chance and Sheffield as fallback in Aaa
Mark 21
When you can score 6.5 runs per game pitching can sometimes be almost mediocre.
.
philsphan1979
They will trade one of their outfielders for pitching to slide in Stanton..Ohtani is a pitcher!
mvpetro
There’s no way in hell they get Stanton unless the marlins pay most of his salary, and the Yankees are stacked in outfield depth as it is
Cat Mando
“Ohtani is a pitcher” and a hitter. If he can’t hit he won’t be signing.
James7430
Agreed. But the point behind why the Marlins want to trade him to begin with is to get rid of the salary, so I doubt they’re willing to absorb much if any of his contract. Like you noted, they have OF depth so I don’t know where he would fit.
abner colon
well to trade for stanton they have to trade some of the regulars plus the nunber 1 and 2 prospect we have and take a lot of Stanton money that i think its nt worth it the guy its a Strikeout machine and he only can DH in the american its not a solid defender either i wont give no one of my team for him
yanks02026
No team is giving up both 1 and 2 tip prospect for Stanton and taking his contract.
Brett The Wolfman
Why not wait a year and sign Harper like I want my White Sox to do
Vedder80
Stanton is actually a pretty solid defender. Perhaps you should watch a game or maybe even google something before commenting.
casey
agreed
abner colon
Judge its a way better Defender Staton its a good defender but not as great as Judge and they play the same position so 9 out of 10 i wont make a trade for stanton
mlb1225
“not a solid defender”. I think 10 DRS, 2 fielding runs above average, and 9 assists would argue otherwise.
Regi Green
Stanton is actually a pretty good defensive player now.Only question about his defense is if he’ll be able to stay in the outfield long term because of his size.
Cat Mando
“guy its a Strikeout machine”
Judge 678 PA – 208 K’s
Stanton 692 PA 163 K’s
Judge K’ed in 37 straight games setting an all-time record. Who is the strikeout machine?
abner colon
judge better and cheaper player
Cat Mando
Judge inconsistent and unproven. 1 year is not proof. July and August- 52 games 223 PA – 80 K’s (36%) 202/359/402. He got better the last month often facing Sept. call-ups. If he does not learn to adjust to pitchers as the adjust to him he may end up being this generations Dave Kingman with a better glove.
Astros2333
This! ^
Pasquale Salvatore
Yankees are not in the Stanton sweepstakes. They are committed to getting under the $197 million salary threshold in preparation for the 2019 bonanza of free agents like Machado, Harper and maybe even Kershaw if he opts out.
NuckBobFutting
2018 free agency, that is next years class
Regi Green
This is the 2018 free agent class. If you look up 2017 free agents, you’ll end up looking at last year’s list.
timm-2
there is no way the Yankees are going to go near Stanton.
yanks02026
They will 100% be interested in Stanton if it works for them. They could still get under the luxury tax if they made a move for him.
Phoenixdownyjr
Lol
padam
Usual suspects… Red Sox, Rangers, Dodgers, Yankees. Sleeper – Mariners.
Pasquale Salvatore
Red Sox can only give him $400,000 and the Dodgers $300,000. The Yankees can give him $3.25 million. Why would he sign with Red Sox or Dodgers?? It’s going to be either the Yankees or Rangers, they can offer him the most money.
stormie
Apparently you missed the part where virtually every team will be in on him because there’s a cap on how much money he can receive. Listing some “usual suspects” for big free agents is quite inane in that context.
yukongold
Move to the Yankees*
jljr222
Fans of all 30 teams: OMG, my team needs to sign him!
** Yankees to sign Ohtani ***
Also fans of 29 other teams: Bust!
DanielDannyDano
Atkins/Shapiro get Edward Rogers on the phone and get him to open his cheque book and make this happen.
Stro-Show
Yes please! They missed out on Darvish and Tanaka.
melkor77
Not a Jays fan, but that would be a great place for him to land… give him a suite in the SkyDome (Rogers Centre)… Give him right field and a spot in the rotation and the ability to compete in the AL East… and it’s easily the shortest drive for me to watch (most important factor)…
xabial
This is going to be crazy!
BlueSkyLA
It’s already pretty crazy. What’s the next step? Stark Raving Mad?
xabial
All this hype, and it’s not even official; ham fighters just gave him permission.
We’ve yet to tap on the surface of craziness.
First we need the official announcement, Posting system’s fixed.
I think it’ll be Stark Raving Mad, when lucky winner signs him.
BlueSkyLA
What, me worry?
Cat Mando
@ Bluesky…That was both clever and groan worthy…definitely deserved an up vote.
BlueSkyLA
Thanks for getting it. Sheesh, these kids today …
😉
Cat Mando
I’ve been around long enough to remember back to back years of perfect games in the NL….Bunning then Koufax
xabial
The Ham Fighters are going to get a lot of ham ($20m+)
hk27
But can all that ham fight?
kehoet83
Hopefully the Brewers. Closest drive to see him.
philsphan1979
Every team will be connected to him! Everyone can make assumptions as I predicted the “Yankees”, but for all we know he may want to play for Toronto, or a low market team. Nobody knows. He might steer clear way from a big market city.
Caseys Partner
Number of articles by Phillies beatoff “writers” connecting the Phillies to Shohei Otani?
ZERO
Todd Zolecki, Ryan Lawrence, David Murphy (referred to Dodger Hyun-Jin Ryu as a “Japanese pitcher”and never issued a correction when informed of his error), Bob Brookover, Matt Breen and others……nothing. Shohei Otani literally does not exist in the world of Phillies beat writers.
So when you see on this site “All 30 teams will have interest…..” this is false.
MLB fans of 29 teams are excited this morning, while one notable fan base of an extremely wealthy MLB team merely gave a collective shrug. They know in every area of their mind, conscious and subconscious that Shohei Otani will not be wearing the uniform of their team next season.
Rhys Hoskins 24 years old
Shohei Otani 23 years old.
–
gorav114
It’s not just Philly. When you bring him up on Os boards they don’t even seem to know who he is. Almost like he doesn’t exist in their world. As an Os fan I definitely feel out of the sweepstakes.
Chris Sale Amateur Tailor
Why is my comment about including the orioles in the Phillies’ non-interest talk removed???
Caseys Partner
ALL of the comments in this thread were removed. I used the back button on my browser to recover the original post and put it back.
philsphan1979
Mine were removed as well..its a conspiracy lol
sequitur
Actually yesterday one of local paper in Japan reported Philly as a favorite to sign Otani.
reflect
He’s gonna sign somewhere really weird like Minnesota, everyone is going to totally flip out, and I’m going to love every second of it.
wanderguzman
Sorry, he is a Yankee already. Im going to love every second of you thinking you are right.
Caseys Partner
Minnesota is a possibility, Philadelphia and Baltimore are not.
Why do the corporate MLB media refuse to discuss this issue of Philadelphia and Baltimore?
The answer is the same as: Why do Americans watch RT to get their news?
Why is the US government demanding that RT register as a “foreign agent”while the BBC, France24 etc do not have to do this?
We live in a “free country”with “free speech”and a “free press””
ROFLOL!
gorav114
Funny I just said Baltimore above in reply to your comment about Philly before seeing this.
philsphan1979
Your comments are always off the wall..your like one of them people who watch jeopardy and blurt out answers and get every question wrong..I bet you did the same in school with ABCD questions, and penciled in random answers. ROTFL. No but seriously I read your comments all the time because we’re both Phillies fans and dude sometimes your way off the charts
mlb1225
What? What does this have to do with baseball?
philsphan1979
Was for Casey not the writer
xabial
Minnesota is #3 in IFA pool money, $0.005M behind the #2 team (Yankees)
You picked a good choice for dark horse candidate.
phantomofdb
Not only are they effectively tied with the Yankees for the second most IFA money, they have nothing on the books after 2019, so they have some spending flexibility for an extension if they wanted. Minnesota might not be the favorite to land him, but they’re also not exactly a long shot from a financial standpoint
rocky7
Dude, its not about the salary and there is Zero chance he picks the Twins.
rocky7
Dude, you’re delusional if you think he’s signing with Minny or someplace obscure.
No disrespect meant to the Twins but he’s god-like in Japan and he’s not leaving there to sign with them.
astrosfanFF7
Man, what ever would we do without your expert opinion? So tell me, Lord Psychic, where will he end up?
arc89
Welcome to the Oakland A’s Otani! You get to play for a west coast team that is a up and coming team. Remember this is the same A’s that signed Cespedes and almost signed Chapman when they were the top foreign players.
Yankster 2
And now they both play in NY … Otani will skip the pit stop and come straight to the desired city !
timm-2
weren’t the A’s one of the teams capped at 300K this year?
I get that Otani is more interested in moving to MLB now and accepting less rather than waiting two years but I don’t expect him to come for nothing.
The three teams with over $3M in international pool money are the most likely. The other couple teams over $1M I could see too because this move is apparently not ALL money.
I’m a yankee fan and I hope my team gets him. This is tough to read.
arc89
He will sign a short term contract with a clause that gives him free agency without a QO attached to it. For somebody like Otani the difference between $300,000 and $3,000,000 will not be much when in 2 years he makes $25 million a year as a free agent.
Cat Mando
He can only sign as a MiLB player first and will make that salary until promoted. Then he will make the MLB minimum. Teams ar not allowed to write in a “short term contract with a clause that gives him free agency without a QO attached to it.”
arc89
Please explain the Cespedes deal he signed with the A’s.
Cat Mando
Cespedes was 26 with 8 years as a pro in Cuba…different set of rules.
arc89
Only slightly different. Teams with the most bonus money to offer are not in the lead at all. there are so many factors in his decision and being on the west coast which he stated before is a big factor.
Caseys Partner
“being on the west coast which he stated before is a big factor.”
Is that right? I Googled: Shohei Otani west coast
I came up with this and this only:
“We don’t know if Ohtani has a strong preference to play on the West Coast, given the (relative) proximity to his native Japan.”
Did you read this wrong or did you not read anything at all anywhere and just post some nonsense in the comments?
justinept
So you’re saying that the guy who already gave up a minimum of $56 million in guaranteed money would be unwilling to give up $3 million? I don’t buy it. Maybe he goes to the Yankees, Rangers, or Twins – but I say it’ll be more because of fit than money.
timm-2
maybe i’m cynical but money always talks.
my point is say he decides he fits with the dodgers and one of the top 5 IFA pool money teams the Dodgers have a problem.
I would agree with you more if we were talking exclusively the teams if IFA pool money north of $1M.
I’d say the most “known” teams in Japan are the Yankees, Mariners, Dodgers, Rangers, and Marlins probably in that order.
arc89
the $300,000 is only for the first year. He could back load a deal with a opt out clause so every team is in not just the ones with the most money. He also stated he wants to play on the west coast. In Cespedes deal he had a early FA clause and a no QO clause. This helped him max out the money in real free agency years.
Caseys Partner
“I’d say the most “known” teams in Japan are””
Why would you say this? Do you live there? What is your expertise on Japanese society and their baseball fans that we should believe this to be so?
Cat Mando
@arcthe $300,000 is his signing bonus, not first year.
timm-2
because I can. no. I can read papers. I can make educated guesses.
What is yours?
Caseys Partner
Google: Free_AEC John Middleton Coconut oil
koz16
@arcthe The $300k is a bonus in addition to the peanuts he will be paid for his minor league contract. If he gets called up to the Majors he is paid the MLB minimum. Theoretically a team could tear up that contract and sign him to a big money extension BUT all contracts need to be approved by MLB. They would reject the contract because it would set a precedent for teams to get around the International Free Agent system. Once Otani gets a year or two of service time they would probably allow a contract that buys out some of his arbitration years like we have seen with other players. But chances are MLB will only allow the contract if it’s close to projected arbitration numbers and not a huge money deal.
Gobbysteiner
It’s not the rangers. Probably the most known are the yanks, giants, dodgers, mariners, and possibly Red Sox. The Giants are huge because one of the best teams in Japanese baseball is called the giants and also SF has a huge Japanese population. The rangers are sort of known for dervish, but they follow Darvish more than the team.
Gobbysteiner
also caseys partner, im japanese, so yeah.
Gobbysteiner
Also I doubt money would sway him, as he’s walking away from 56 million guaranteed and on top of that still lives in the team dorms and has a literal allowance from his parents.
rocky7
Ah yes the team of Billy Beane…he who breaks down the team each year for another re-building with a sell off of anyone that might cost money.
He’s not signing with an “up and coming team” is my guess, he wants to maximize his marketing potential so that points towards either NY or the Dodgers.
LumberJerk9Billion
Go get him (insert name of GM of low budget team with little/no prior history or connection to Japanese players)!
shoheiohtahnyy
Yes.
dynamite drop in monty
No
xabial
Maybe So
BlueSkyLA
Absolutely!
Chris Koch
What team has money left over from the this year’s signings? Wouldn’t Otani want an offseason to practice and perform over waiting til after July 2 before he can play? Or are signings happening earlier than July now?
Chris Koch
Found this:
That signing-bonus money is capped, so the Associated Press figured out which teams have the most to offer Otani. Turns out, it’s the Texas Rangers, the same team that brought Yu Darvish to the U.S. They have about $3.5 million left in their international coffers. The New York Yankees are in second place by a couple thousand dollars.
You might be surprised to see only six teams can even offer Otani more than a $1 million bonus based on what’s left of their international money for this year. By comparison, Masahiro Tanaka got a seven-year deal worth $155 million when he came from Japan. Yu Darvish got $60 million over six years. Here’s the rest of the list and the maximum they can offer Otani:
Texas Rangers — $3,535,000
New York Yankees — $3,250,000
Minnesota Twins — $3,245,000
Pittsburgh Pirates — $2,266,750
Miami Marlins — $1,740,000
Seattle Mariners — $1,570,500
Philadelphia Phillies — $900,000
Milwaukee Brewers — $765,000
Arizona Diamondbacks — $731,250
Baltimore Orioles — $660,000
Boston Red Sox — $462,000
Tampa Bay Rays — $440,500
Atlanta Braves – $300,000
Chicago Cubs – $300,000
Chicago White Sox – $300,000
Cincinnati Reds – $300,000
Houston Astros – $300,000
Kansas City Royals – $300,000
Los Angeles Dodgers – $300,000
Oakland Athletics – $300,000
St. Louis Cardinals – $300,000
San Diego Padres – $300,000
San Francisco Giants – $300,000
Washington Nationals – $300,000
Detroit Tigers — $159,500
Los Angeles Angels — $150,000
New York Mets — $150,000
Toronto Blue Jays — $50,000
Cleveland Indians — $10,000
Colorado Rockies — $10,000
So Rangers or Yankees it would seem wouldn’t it?
xabial
Nice list. A lot better than mine. (I copied and pasted from the Assossiated Press article)
I love the Assossiated Press for doing the dirty work, investigating and reporting these figures for all 30 teams. It’s criminal how difficult it was to find, before this report.
Gotta love them!! Thank you AP! (link to AP IFA report below)
usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2017/11/08/texas-can…
philsphan1979
Not necessarily. He already stated that he doesn’t care about the money “right away”. The man just wants to play in MLB ..Don’t be shocked if he decides to sign with #30-15 on that list
Chris Koch
True. I’m already guessing a team like the Dodgers sign him, and then immediately extend once he’s pitched a game to something like 7year/70-125mil…”buying out his contract” with likely an option year or two for his FA” years
Brixton
The league would veto that, imo. They’d have to be able to cite a precedent contract, or the league would just view it as undermining the CBA
Cat Mando
MLB has already said they are watching this closely for anyone skirting the rules. If a team tries to extend him after 1 game there will be trouble. If he preforms well in the majors for 2 years or so then there would be a problem with an extension comparable (as much as possible) to others given.
alexgordonbeckham
He’s already forfeiting millions of dollars coming over 2 years sooner. What’s a couple more? He can literally end up anywhere.
xabial
For those of you who can’t click the link in this article:
The Rangers ($3.535MM), Yankees ($3.25MM), and Twins ($3.245MM) easily lead the way, with the Pirates ($2.2MM+), Marlins ($1.74MM), and Mariners ($1.57MM+)
After that comes Phillies ($900,000), Brewers ($765,000), Arizona ($731,250), Baltimore ($660,000), Boston ($462,000) and Tampa Bay ($440,500).
Twelve teams are capped at $300,000: Braves, Cubs White Sox, Reds, Astros, Royals, Dodgers, Oakland, St. Louis, San Diego, Giants and Nationals.
Other clubs have even less available: Tigers ($159,500), Angels ($150,000), New York Mets ($105,000), Toronto ($50,000), Cleveland and Colorado ($10,000 apiece).
Source- usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2017/11/08/texas-can…
timm-2
curious to see if there are any trades today involving international pool money. teams have 4 days presumably from today to land him.
alexgordonbeckham
Why do they only have 4 days?
timm-2
That’s part of the posting system. Now that’s he’s been posted teams have 4 days to send their offers for the Ham fighters to accept one.
Unknown if that means he has to agree to a deal with the winning team in that time.
alexgordonbeckham
Thanks for the quick response.
Joe Kerr
He hasn’t been posted yet. His team announced they will post him. In fact, the first line of the 2nd paragraph of the story “That does not quite make things official”. He doesn’t have 4 days from today.
alexgordonbeckham
I can see that it isn’t 4 days from now. In fact, I didn’t even imply in my original comment. I see that hasn’t been posted.
Joe Kerr
not you, Tim M
higgy5592
I’m going to cry if the Yankees don’t sign him.
mlb1225
I’d get the tissues ready if I were you.
Jimcarlo Slaton
..like a spoiled, self entitled brat..
justinept
The most he can sign for right now is $3.53 million. If he waited two years, he’d get a minimum of $60 million guaranteed. If he’s already willing to give up $56 million, why are so many people talking like this is going to come down to money?
Brixton
Hes willing to walk away from the money because he wants to play here now. That doesnt mean he won’t take the best offer available
justinept
You don’t turn down what most experts say is a minimum $100 million – and then squabble over $2 million. That would be completely illogical
Brixton
He wants to come compete at the highest level, but I’m sure he doesn’t want to do it living with no money. The lowest teams can only offer him 10k.
I don’t think he needs to take the best offer, but settling for 10K when you could get 500K from 20 other teams doesn’t make sense.
Coast1
Where did you hear teams can only offer 10k? Teams in the penalty are the only ones with a limit and that’s $300k. If a team has spent all the money in their pool they can still sign players for under $100k since anyone signed for less than that doesn’t count against the pool.
I’m sure some teams have little or no money left in their bonus pool, but those that don’t could trade for more international bonus money. So any team not in the penalty could offer $3 million just by trading for pool money.
Cat Mando
He is probably referring to Cleveland and Colorado. Each only has $10K left in their pool.
Coast1
If that’s true they can still trade for bonus pool money. Each of them can trade for $4.3 million in pool money. I’m guessing the teams limited to $300k signings have plenty to trade.
arc89
because their team can give out the most now. He will sign with the team he likes the most not the team that can give him the most.
AR
2018
Ohtani
Hendricks
Lester
Quintana
Cobb (or Chatwood perhaps)
Mikel Grady
AR I️ like it. With top 4 could put Montgomery in 5 spot. Won’t need # 5 in playoffs. Spend on bullpen and Davis as closer
belay
red sox
elvis26
To the cards!!!!
Richamamia
Dodgers could make a deal for Stanton involving the Marlins international pool money.
BlueSkyLA
Huh, you know, they could. A long shot of course but far from impossible.
bonquisha
Arent they forbidden fron spending more than 300k per one prospect? Due to their restrictions from their splurge awhile back
Coast1
They are. That likely means the Dodgers have more international pool money than they can spend. It’s more likely the Dodgers will send the Marlins international pool money than the other way around.
BlueSkyLA
So you are saying they have the pool money, but they are not authorized to spend it? If accurate, a different story obviously.
Coast1
They can spend it but can’t give more than $300k to any one player. No team would be able to sign enough international players for that amount or less to use up all $4.75 million they have allotted. So teams that are in the penalty usually trade the portion they can’t use.
Michael Chaney
The Mariners are the perfect fit for him…they need more stability in their pitching staff with all the injuries they’ve had, they can offer him the chance to DH in the American League (especially once Cruz leaves next offseason), they’re close enough to competing that DiPoto could feel like Otani would put them over the top, and they have an incredible Japanese presence.
Caseys Partner
If Otani is going to hit then he’s going to play corner outfield and contribute defensively. AL teams have professional hitters who DH.
Robbie Cano 34 years old
Shohei Otani 23 years old
Rhys Hoskins 24 years old
Shohei Otani 23 years old
Who did you say was a perfect fit?
mlb1225
It’s more than likely he’ll sign with an AL team. Not too many NL teams would want to risk putting a star like him, who hasn’t played OF consistently since 2013, in the outfield.
Chris Sale Amateur Tailor
Rhys Hoskins had a great few weeks, but he’s not a selling point like you’re making. For the sake of baseball, I hope he proves me wrong, though…
Caseys Partner
My point was not that Hoskins was a “selling point”, but rather that Otani fits right into the Phillies core that is there now and is about to arrive. Otani is in the same age group.
That is why John Middleton has no desire for Otani. No Japanese or Korean player has ever been a Phillies core talent and Middleton plans to keep it that way.
mlb1225
Phillies or not, still think it’s unlikely it’s gonna be an NL team.
Michael Chaney
Why on earth would you send out one of your best pitchers to play defense on days he doesn’t pitch? He’ll DH, period.
Joe Kerr
Because if he is good enough to, then you make it work. I know the leagues aren’t the same but he did post a .940 OPS this season, if you can get that bat in your lineup, you do.
Michael Chaney
Read my comment again; I️ never said that he shouldn’t hit, I said that he shouldn’t have to play defense. If you have a guy that valuable, let him DH if you want his bat in the lineup. Don’t let him go out there and play defense.
Joe Kerr
I read it correctly, you are apparently only talking about AL teams, I meant if he goes to an NL team where there is no DH
Joe Kerr
My apologies Michael, after reading the original message you are clear, I was replying to a message in the middle. I agree with you if it’s an AL club, no chance he should see the field.
Michael Chaney
Oh okay, that makes more sense, and I agree with you. Thank you for clarifying!
frankthetank1985
Can someone help me out here, for some reason I️ am a dumbass when it comes to this. Why (other than the owners suck and sandy is cheap and sucks) are the Mets never talked about with this guy or any other high profile international star. One early comment on this board has the Mets at $100,000 for signing? Why r they so low and Yankees and rangers so high. I️ don’t recall the Mets every spending much on a guy to limit their potential on this guy. Again, sorry I’m dumb in this area. Other areas too but defiantly here lol.
Caseys Partner
New York Mets
Ronny Mauricio, ss, Dominican Republic (No. 3 prospect), $2.1 million.
Adrian Hernandez, of, Dominican Republic (No. 16 prospect), $1.5 million.
Stanly Consuegra, of, Dominican Republic (No. 40 prospect), $500,000.
From Baseball America
Google: 2017 TEAM-BY-TEAM INTERNATIONAL SIGNING TRACKER
start_wearing_purple
It’s complicated. Basically because of his age Ohtani is under the rules of international prospect signing. This year teams were alloted $4.75M initially, but at some percentage after that the team will be penalized in the future. Basically this was the compromise instead of an international draft. The Mets signed a couple of expensive international prospects so they have only $150k remaining.
frankthetank1985
I️ equals i lol
phantomofdb
I really feel like he’s gonna land somewhere that feels completely random. Pittsburgh or something. I’d love Minnesota
rocky7
Better take your medication quickly if you think he’s signing in Pittsburg or Minnesota. You’re hallucinating again.
mlb1225
No way is it gonna be Pittsburgh. Huntington is too cheap.
xabial
You mean the owner is too cheap. The GM has to follow his demands.
Caseys Partner
Bob Nutting?
The corporate media never talks about Bob Nutting so the public blame Nutting’s hired hand.
mlb1225
That’s true, but Huntington doesn’t do anything with the money, even if it is way less compared to other teams. Watch, the team needs at least one solid relief pitcher, and while there are a handful of solid, and low-priced guys, he more than likely, won’t do anything/very very little, or go internally.
mcdusty31
Hasn’t even made it over to the bigs and he’s already changing his name
start_wearing_purple
I have to wonder if you’re going to start seeing some of the bonus money going out in trades before the posting. If for instance Pittsburgh thinks they’re out of the running then they wouldn’t exactly be harming themselves to trade for a prospect from New York or Texas.
astrosfanFF7
Everyone has talked about him being a starting pitcher and batting, but has anyone talked about him being in a bullpen? That could be interesting. Although, that would make it more difficult to bat because you wouldn’t always know the days he was going to pitch. Just a thought, though. As for where he will end up, it’s really anyone’s guess. I’d say an AL team probably makes more sense if he wants to bat more than just during each start, but for some reason my gut feeling is telling me Miami. That’s probably a ridiculous pick and I have no reason why I thought of it, but hey we will see.
JKB 2
He is considered a potential no. 1 starting pitcher. An ace. Why would anyone think of putting him in the bullpen
astrosfanFF7
That’ll be great if that’s what he becomes, but it doesn’t always turn out that way. The whole point is that I’m not sure how this whole hitting and pitching thing will work out. Whoever signs him is going to have to figure out a way to make that work. Not to mention, what if he struggles doing one or the other? If he’s a lights out pitcher but is batting .100, I don’t think they’d be sending him back to the minors but he’s said he wants to pitch and hit. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very interested to see what happens with this but I feel like it won’t go the way he hopes.
rocky7
And, Oh my God, it is a rediculous pick…so why even mention it.
I’sn’t Miami REDUCING payroll and discussing trades for their most marketable players?
Ohtani has the opportunity to play for who HE WANTS TO. Why would he go to a team committed to reducing payroll, being irrelevant for several years, and potentially trade bait in the future.
Man, do you read the papers!
astrosfanFF7
Relax. I clearly stated it isn’t something I expect to happen but it’s a gut feeling I had. No one pays me to be right about this, so what do I care? Also, he isn’t going to be getting much money right now anyways so it wouldn’t matter if Miami was cutting their payroll to begin with. And no, I don’t “read the papers” there’s something called INTERNET. There does that make my POINT come across better if I use CAPITALS?
RIDICULOUS* by the way. You can’t even spell, so why mention it? 🙂 Idiot.
rocky7
I guess I didn’t spell check Moron! So Sorry!
I guess the gist of what I was saying wasn’t as important than your need for proper spelling.
Stanton isn’t getting tied to a team that’s cutting payroll, which means he’ll be surrounded by never was’s and wanna be’s and I think he stated he wants to be on a team that has a chance to win, and that’s probably not the Miami team for several years.
Must be a Millennial know it all.
tac3
Rangers …
But I got a feeling he will sign with the Phillies and surprise a lot of people. He knows they got the money, and can use his bat and arm.
dynamite drop in monty
Sports stuff
joba dehouit
He is known as The Japanese Babe Ruth. What do you think his preference would be ? It’s obvious.
Yamsi12
Trade Albert to japan and sign him angels!
jd396
It’s so obvious that Otani is NOT the type of player the new international system is designed for.
NuckBobFutting
There is no “h”, his name is Otani
Joe Kerr
Wrong, read the last paragraph, it is explained.
BlueSkyLA
Yup, just about the only thing we know for sure about him is how he’s chosen to spell his name in English and it is not the most common way.
brucewayne
Not according to the headline of this story! There’s an H.
Bub_36
Let’s it’ll be cool to see him rocking Dodger Blue !
Franx
Jays jays jays jays jays….come on Munenori Kawasaki and talk us up!
Cat Mando
While I am not convinced that he will absolutely sign with the Yankees or Rangers because they have the most to spend I also don’t think he will sign with the Jays who only have “$50k to spend.
Big Poison
He wants to pitch for the best pitching coach in the world. Searage will make him great. Welcome to Pittsburgh !
Macho King OG
Yankees.
Rsm
If the Yankees want him, they will get him. The Yankees are barely below the Rangers amount that they can offer. And is everyone forgetting the additional money that Ohtani would make just by being in New York City? This guy will be a mega star in New York if they allow him to pitch and hit
Cat Mando
Japan Times Sat. 11/11/17
japantimes.co.jp/sports/2017/11/11/baseball/japane…
After weeks of others speculating about his future, Shohei Otani, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters’ captivating two-way superstar, finally had his say.
It’s not money pulling him toward the major leagues, nor the pursuit of renown. The 23-year-old star simply wants to become the best baseball player in the world, and he’s ready to kick the pursuit of his goal into high gear by moving to MLB this offseason via the posting system.
“There are still so many things I’m lacking, and I want to put myself in an environment where I can improve,” Otani told a packed house at the Japan National Press Club on Saturday morning, a day after the Fighters announced they intended to honor his wishes and post him.
“Hopefully I can go to a club that suits my way of thinking.”
Not everyone seeks the limelight. This guy is not your typical prospect looking to cash in and be famous. He has one goal…baseball and being the best. He already has tons of endorsements in Japan, plus as has been pointed out on other threads, the biggest MLB endorsements were not cities like NYC or LA….it is about the player not the location or team.
Coast1
What additional money? No Yankees were among the top 5 in endorsement income last year and baseball players don’t make a lot anyway. The top Yankees were Tanaka at $1 million and Sabathia at $750k. That’s a pittance compared to what these guys make for playing. Otani will make his endorsement money in Japan, not the US.
Stan Homan
The Yankees have no chance unless they relocate to Seattle. Money is very low on his list of needs and New York doesn’t always get what they want. Ohtani will end up in Seattle where the Mariners have been rebuilding for 41 years.
Doorman550
Who cares. He’s already too over rated. ♂️♂️♂️♂️♂️♂️♂️♂️♂️
brucewayne
There’s that missing H!
Gobbysteiner
Giants should be a dark horse. Big japantown, big Japanese population, and as far as big cities go one of the more chilled out ones. The press is very easy and not critical at all. also, the yomiuri giants are named after them. I’m a Japanese guy, and if I wanted to move to the US I’d go to SF.
Gwynning's Anal Lover
I hope he changes his name to a symbol so he can be known as the baseball player formally known as Otani.