11:40pm: The Angels are indeed one of the finalists, as per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (via Twitter).
10:39pm: The Angels are thought by “multiple sources” to be one of the finalists, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan tweets. The Tigers are out of the running, according to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press.
8:59pm: The Rangers and Cubs will both meet with Ohtani, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports (Twitter link), and they’re also the only two non-West Coast teams who appear to still be alive in the candidate process. The Rangers, Grant notes, have yet to comment on their status one way or the other.
7:22pm: The Nationals won’t be receiving a meeting, the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes reports (Twitter link).
6:58pm: The Braves are out, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (via Twitter).
6:50pm: The Padres will receive a meeting with Ohtani, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (Twitter links). The Dodgers are also thought to still be active in the Ohtani sweepstakes though Heyman doesn’t have confirmation; regardless, the Dodgers aren’t thought to be favorites to land Ohtani.
6:38pm: The Rays, Cardinals and White Sox are out, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (all Twitter links).
6:15pm: The Diamondbacks won’t receive a meeting, Ken Rosenthal tweets.
6:12pm: The Blue Jays, Pirates, and Brewers are all out, as respectively reported by Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi, MLB.com’s Adam Berry, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Haudricourt (all Twitter links).
5:48pm: The Mets are also out, as per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link).
5:38pm: Ohtani’s list is “heavy” on West Coast teams, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports, though the Cubs may still be involved. Not every west-based team is included, however, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that the A’s aren’t involved.
5:28pm: The Red Sox are also out of the running, president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. The Twins also won’t be getting a meeting with Ohtani, Heyman tweets.
5:16pm: The Giants and Mariners are among the teams that will receive meetings with Shohei Ohtani and his representatives next week, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link). It isn’t known who the other finalists are in the Ohtani sweepstakes, though the Yankees are one of the teams that didn’t make the cut, as Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters (including NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty and MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch).
According to Cashman, Ohtani seems to be leaning towards West Coast teams in smaller markets. This ties to a report from FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman saying that Ohtani’s reps are informing teams that the two-way star would prefer to play in a smaller market.
The news adds another fascinating layer to the Ohtani sweepstakes, which was already one of the more intriguing free agent pursuits in recent memory. Given the seeming lack of immediate financial motive that inspired Ohtani’s move to Major League Baseball, it opened the door for every team in baseball (regardless of market or payroll size) to make a push for the 23-year-old. There had been speculation that Ohtani might look to avoid playing in a larger market, so this apparent confirmation creates a realistic possibility that he will land with a team that wouldn’t normally be considered a favorite to land such a coveted free agent.
Of course, San Francisco isn’t exactly a small market, though Ohtani wouldn’t necessarily be the center of attention on a club with such established stars as Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner (and maybe even Giancarlo Stanton in the near future). Playing for an NL team, however, would force Ohtani into a pinch-hitting or even a part-time outfield role for the at-bats he seeks in his attempt to be a two-way player in the big leagues. The Mariners do have such a DH spot available (in a timeshare with Nelson Cruz), and were considered to be a contender for Ohtani given their long history of Japanese players.
The Yankees also have had several significant Japanese players on their past and current rosters, and were widely seen as one of the major favorites for Ohtani’s services from a financial (in terms of available international bonus money) and positional (openings at DH and in the rotation) standpoint, not to mention their international fame and their young core of talent ready to make a World Series push. With Ohtani now out of the picture, the Yankees could move to signing more pitching depth — a reunion with C.C. Sabathia has been widely speculated as a possibility — or a veteran bat to serve as designated hitter, if the club doesn’t just rotate its DH days to find plate appearances for everyone on the current roster.
Giants won’t get both Ohtani and Stanton
Which one would you prefer?
Why not, Ohtani will only cost them less than 3 million?
GETTING NONE SF
Why not? Not like Ohtani costs much
They can, but probably won’t Ohtani won’t do much of anything to hurt their payroll
Or either. Stanton will never win in SF. They’re worse than Miami.
Good thing it’s up to Stanton and not you.
haha
Lol
Again he wants to win. He’d literally be in a worse spot in SF than Miami. He’d be better off staying in Miami then opt out in 2020
I don’t know the economics of the franchise and how healthy they are in terms of revenue but I doubt the Giants would pay the costs to acquire Stanton if they were not also committed to immediately spending additional funds or resources to immediately sure up the rest of the team this winter.. I think all of these teams must take a “in for a penny, end for a pound” approach just to make the team a legit WS contender. Else, why bother? For ratings sake?
San Fran has won more championships than anyone else recently. 3 in 8 years isn’t some terrible team regardless of less than spectacular play the past two years.
3 in the last 68 years! Do the math!
Lolol well played
Enjoy your sour grapes
Yes they can.
Why not.? Ohtani is basically “free” save for the posting fee.
The Giants will get Stanton within the next 4 days. Ohtani will sign with the Giants after he is sure Stanton is definitely a Giant.
The Giants will get Stanton within 4 days!!! Then Ohtani will sign with the Giants also.
Absolutely not
Word is the Angels are willing to change their name to the Ohtani Angels of Anaheim.
He values a small market team on the West Coast, so hes either going to be in San Diego or Seattle
I’d be shocked if we went to San Diego.
They’ve shown willingness to let players play both ways, they have a great farm, Preller has been in on him since he was 18. It’s a good fit on paper
At this point I’d be shocked if it’s not Seattle. They have a successful history with transitioning Japanese stars to MLB – possibly even the most successful of any other MLB team, a vibrant Asian community, smaller market, closer proximity to Japan than most other cities, AL team allowing more lineup flexibility, close to contention with some payroll to compete. I am sure there is a few others I am missing, but already that looks like a comfortable transition where he can be financially secure and competing for a winning team very soon. Best of luck, M’s.
I know everything is speculation, but I remember seeing reports that he’d prefer to go to a market without an established Japanese star. SEA basically seems like the perfect fit, but if Ichiro is a factor that might lean him towards SF or SD. So hard to guess when we really don’t know what he wants.
Don’t for get Seattle one of the best places ever for sushi! Yep done deal Seattle it is!
How is his medical report
You know that Ichiro is no longer in Seattle, right?
this, it is going to be san diego me thinks.
Better than Japan?
The Cubs are a fit for this. Ohtani’s only competition would be Kosuke Fukudome, which is a name many people have forgotten already. He’d probably also get significatnyl more at-bats playing for Maddon than the average national league team.
Ichiro hasn’t been in Seattle for years. There was talk Ohtani knows Iwakuma. Iwakuma was just signed on a minor league deal and will be in ST with the M’s. Kuma won’t be pitching in ST but he surely cna be there and help Ohtani be more comfortable. The M’s can afford Ohtani and Darvish. Make it happen DiPoto.
Obviously Ichiro doesn’t play for the M’s anymore, but he played the majority of his hall of fame career there and was the face of the franchise. Seattle already had a Japanese superstar baseball player, if he’s fine following in those footsteps then great, but if he wants to build his own legacy he might chose to go elsewhere.
The Mariners have an established Japanese pitcher.
In the minor leagues.
And they have the DH
I wouldn’t Logan White almost hooked him right out of high school.
Or the Angels. They’ll just have to explain they aren’t actually in LA
No, no, we are really the Anaheim Angels we swear….
the angels could really use him , they need another ace in the rotation. That could allow them to trade for a bat.
Just curious as to who is the ace the angels currently have to add “another ace”
Another ace? Who’s the one you have now? Do tell please.
Richards, when healthy. He looked to be at the end of last year
Anaheim is too large a city. How about Riverside?
Maybe Garrett Richards when he’s actually active?
Tell that to Arte & the City of Anaheim
You can’t be considered an ace when you’ve pitched over 170 innings exactly one season in your 6+-year MLB career. Being an ace includes being durable, not just pitching really well in limited action. The guy has pitched fewer innings over the past two years combined than a reliever will log in an average year.
I think that innings you speak of falls under the “horse” category. Not ace.
It falls under both. The ace is your best and most reliable pitcher. You can’t be reliable if you’re constantly on the shelf.
The angels make sense though, they just traded for more international money, assumingely to make a case here. Yet, they’re not discussed one way or the other.
Arte can brag about signing guys like Josh Hamilton and Wilson and Pujols. “We love throwing away money!”
Close enough. It’s like calling the New York Jets and New York Giants the New Jersey Jets and New Jersey Giants even though their right outside NYC and are all over the NYC media / market.
The Arlington Cowboys
Seattle and their high payroll?
Not small market
They gave out cano what a 240 mil dollar contract
Seattle’s payroll is half literally of the Dodger’s, Yankees and red Sox. just cuz cano makes what he does doesn’t mean they have a high TOTAL payroll. their payroll is around 150mil which is just above league average I believe.
$150 at the beginning of last year. But we don’t have Dyson, Alonzo, Velincia, or Smyly….I think it currently sitting at $130-$135 right now….
Market size has nothing to do with payroll.
Nonsense
I’d wager on Seattle
Why haven’t the angels been discussed? Didn’t they just trade for more pool money?? I assumed it would be for this.
Would be an interesting fit but it’s not small market.
Just because they have the pool money doesn’t guarantee he’s interested. DH is kind of covered with Pujols, as is the OF. Where would he get AB s?
Don’t you think if it was either San Diego or Seattle, Ohtani would have eliminated all the other teams except those 2?
Why not Anaheim. Orange County is the single smallest market on the West Coast. Everyone is acting like they’re out of the race but they’re a contender for Ohtani just like the other 6 finalists
who is advising this guy? you wont even sit down with the yankees to see what they have to say? this guy is gonna flop big time
I didn’t know that not being happy with where you were correlated with successful performance
Dont you know? The Yankees are the best sports organization ever. How dare you not want to be a Yankee
He won’t go to the yanks because they don’t (still) have a manager.
“He won’t go to the yanks because they don’t (still) have a manager”
Huh? It appears your post is recent, sleep through the Aaron Boone news?
Like he said, they still don’t have a manager.
Thank you…exactly. Now you go back to sleep.
Yes they do. Tf?
Ha now he’s gonna flop because he isn’t playing for your Yankees. But I’m sure he would have been a HOFer if he considered them.
No, that’s Boston.
He’s going to flop because he won’t meet with the Yankees lol … this is a smart guy who is in the drivers seat and is setting himself up for the best possibility for himself to succeed on his terms.
He’s ignoring the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Cardinals (presumably), the Cubs (presumably) and the Phillies (presumably). The first four are the most popular teams in the entire sport.
Playing for a small market team in general means far less money from endorsements and less popularity. He’s costing himself MILLIONS. On the West Coast he has the Dodgers (who don’t seem to fit what he’s looking for), the Giants, Angels and Mariners. The Angels are in the shadow of the Dodgers and have Mike Trout to overshadow him, no farm, and horrible finances going forward. The Giants are an aging team with no farm where he’s overshadowed by Posey and Bumgarner and the Mariners have a weak farm, haven’t been to the playoffs since 2001, and are in the same division as the best team in baseball who are leaps and bounds ahead of them. Ohtani is clearly living in a different reality than most players.
Small market team = face of the franchise. Every team you mentioned has a face of the franchise. San Diego, Seattle, Giants, etc he’s the face of the franchise- yes otani would even beat out bumgardner who did himself no favors last year. He’d get plenty of attention. Look at him now an entire off season dedicated to his decision. He actually lives up to the hype he will get plenty of attention and endorsements being the face of the franchise.
MLB endorsements in 2017 per Forbes
Posey and Bryant – $4mm
Miguel Cabrera – $2mm
Price $550,00
Kershaw $800,00
Still think large market means the biggest endorsements?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2017/04/11/clayton-kershaw-and-fellow-pitchers-head-baseballs-highest-paid-players-2017/#1e2a8a6c2d6b
You might want to check your math with your quote about the Angels they are sitting at about 127 million in AAV for 2018 which includes MLB TR estimate for their arbitration eligible players and the rest of the 25 man roster. that leaves about 70 million to the luxury tax threshold …. and the Angels have very good minor league outfielders, catchers and pitchers in their system. as well as some very young infielders. They also have one of the best TV contracts in baseball including 150 million in revenue every year and 3 million fan in attendance every year !!!
Cubs are still in the running, last I heard. He is leaning toward West Coast teams, but that’s not a final decision yet against the Cubs.
Yes. San Francisco and Chicago are not exactly Pittsburgh or Minnesota or Tampa. They are not the biggest markets, but they are still big market.
Chicago is the third largest metro in the U.S., and one of the largest markets.
I live 7 hours away and can’t watch my team when they play a Chicago team because of blackouts.
They are a huge market team.
What are you talking about? Angels have one of the worst farm systems in the game haha
Being with the Mariners never hurt Ichiro or Griffey in that regard. Both led the league in non-baseball related income while with the Mariners.
Okay, I LOVE the Phillies, but they are by no means one of the most popular teams in baseball.
He is going to flop because he thinks playing small market is going to keep him out of the limelight and when that doesn’t happen the nerves will destroy him. Remember Greinke before had psychological help.
Gotta love butt hurt Yankee’s fans haha
@walls17
Stop crying baby. He is not gonna flop just because he would not sit down with your yankees … boo hoo…. cry baby
He does not need to sit down with the Yankees as he does not want to be a Yankee partly because of arrogant no nothing fans like you
Turning down the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Cardinals and Cubs to play for a team with less money and no farm makes him sound ignorant of common sense to be honest. Non-Yankees fans are happy but let’s wait until he actually plays before acting as if he’s a big loss.
No one said he’s a big loss, everyone’s simply pointing out how quick fans have turned once they hear he doesn’t want to play for the team they root for. It’s quite funny, he doesn’t want to play for the team I root for but I’m not butt hurt.
People are screaming he’s losing millions going to small market team or SF is old and Padres suck blah blah blah..
His market dictates he can choose where he wants to go, where he is most comfortable playing. If he is more comfortable he is more likely to succeed.. meaning more money next contract. Endorsements are huge in MLB and if he goes to a small market and plays lights out he’s actually making more money in the long run for his next contract.
Where did he turn down the Cubs?
The majority of his endorsements will be in Japan, because he will be a MLB player. Those endorsements will not be affected by which MLB team he plays for.
Dude! How old are you ? Why so angry all the time? Seriously !
Gonna flop just because he spurned the Yankees? Maybe he heard another Asian pitcher was once called a fat toad and decided it wasn’t the place for him.
If it makes you feel any more humble, Felix Hernandez turned down more money from the Yankees and Braves to sign with Seattle.
Not everyone wants to play for the Yankees. Accept it. Be more gracious.
Another guy, albeat different situation was Zach Greinke. Good that he plays for Dbacks, but his known anxiety problems at the time was a block for any potential Yankee-match trade/signing. NY would eat him alive. Not saying Ohtani has anxiety. Just saying, not everyone desires the limelight.
Some guys just weren’t meant to be. I am glad we were able to convince CC though (heavy West Coast Bias, before Yanks showed him the $$ and opt out) you win some you lose some. my friend. Now show some class instead of expecting him to be bust, sounding like a spoiled brat.
The last 2 Japanese pitchers to come out of Japan (Darvish+Tanaka) more than lived up to their potential. (Darvish in particular, since he cost Texas $51M+ posting fee, under the old posting system)
I expect and hope great things for Ohtani, despite losing him (except when facing us)
Stay classy,
Good post, Felix however cost himself millions and a championship. Imagine if we had him in 2009-2011. He would’ve been more popular as a Yankee.
One can argue if Felix developed into the Ace he was expected to develop into, Yankees may have not missed the playoffs in 2008 for the first time since 1994, and then they wouldn’t have spent $171M on CC (Or $82.5M on AJ, for that matter) For all we know, everything worked out. Too many repercussions.
And even if they missed still the playoffs, (with Felix) they could’ve deemed $171M on Sabathia too much, thus not ensuring #27 or any future Championship since they had a 3 man rotation of CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and Andy Pettite. Can you imagine if having Felix made them complacent and not sign either CC and AJ? Too many variables come into play. Nothing in life is guaranteed.
For all we know, they don’t win in 2009, and wouldn’t have won since. The ONLY thing you have going for you is, I still anticipate them signing Teixeira since they desperately needed a 1B, and 2009 was the grand opening of New Yankee Stadium, so they needed to make a splash, I just don’t know if $253.5M for Sabathia and Burnett would be as likely, had they had Felix.
To Summarize: I disagree with you, had Felix signed, in NYY than SEA, he would’ve been guaranteed a championship.
I’m happy with how things played out for both the Yankees and Felix, although I really do hope Felix makes the HOF (everyone says borderline) but I’m certain if he put up the same stats in NY as he did in SEA, his odds would be better than “borderline” Even though I’m a Yankee fan, I’m also a Felix fan. You have to respect talent when you see it and No one made me appreciate SP W-L records less, than Felix.
I hope if SEA lands Ohtani, it gives Felix his first legit shot at a ring.
Felix never hit free agency, he was extended twice. But the point still remains: it’s not all about NY.
Felix signed with Seattle for $710,000, as a 16-year old INT FA out of Venezuela, when the Yankees and Braves were heavily courting him, and offered him more money.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2546421-how-a-childhood-idol-and-a-scouting-guru-landed-felix-hernandez-in-seattle
Credit to SEA for extending Felix (One of Jack Zduriencik’s best moves ) but it has nothing to do with the point I was making.
Tanaka didn’t live up to the hype sorry. 275 million for a pitcher with a career 3.56 era?!
Where do you get $275 million from?
$20M Posting fee included, Tanaka was a $175MM investment. I’d like to think he meant to type 175, instead of his 275 figure.
Then again, maybe confusing it with Arod’s contract? 😛
Yeah, pretty much everything you said about Felix is completely made up.
He never turned down more money from the Braves or the Yankees, because he never got the chance to negotiate with either team. The dude was signed through 2014 when he was slated to make 20 mil in that final season, only he signed an extension prior to the 2013 that made him the best paid pitcher in MLB history. and bumped up his his salary in each of the two remaining years of his contract.
Grienke? Another guy where your revisionist history is long on make believe and short on facts. Grienke’s anxiety issues had zilch to do with who he signed with. Money was the end all be all — he said as much both when he signed with the Dodgers and when he left them for the D-Backs.
The Yankees never pursued him — you can even dig up quotes from Hal saying the goal was to get under the tax and not add to the payroll.
There are definitely guys who passed on the Yankees, but neither of your examples jive with what actually happened.
I’m convinced you haven’t read any of my posts, including the one, you were responding to.
King Felix signed as a highly touted 16 year old INT FA out of Venezuela. Despite INT rules being different back then, the process was more or less the same. It came down to three teams: Seattle, Yankees and Braves. He himself admitted Yankees and Braves, offered more $$ in link I had in my response to Stevil, literally 4 posts before your post. But I’ll post it again:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2546421-how-a-childhood-idol-and-a-scouting-guru-landed-felix-hernandez-in-seattle
@CAH,
Do some research, before calling people out.
Or be polite, at the least.
Thanks,
Xabial
I AM CONVINCED YOU ARE CORRECT!!! Was using a phone, and the order of messages isn’t always formatted correctly.
No worries, bud. ^^^^
I should’ve clarified signing as a 16 year old Int FA, Not regular FA we’re used to seeing.
It’s a shame you can’t show more class like some of the other Yankees fans in this thread.
This is the greatest take I’ve seen yet.
Just five hours ago, Yankees fans not only thought he was Babe Ruth reincarnated, but they were wondering what number he’d wear there.
The Yankees missing out almost feels as good as it would feel if the Mariners got him.
This made my day, no yankees for ohtani. And the Mariners are in the mix to get him
I’m a diehard Red Sox fan but I’ve been pulling for Seattle too these last couple years. I hope they get Ohtani I really want to see Dipoto get these guys back into the playoffs.
Yeah bc the mariners have a storied history as much as the Seattle pilots
GM Di trado will trade him bc that’s what he does
That’s the best you could come up with?
Yikes…what a bad try at comedy
yanks_aaronx3 whiffed as bad on that joke as the Yankees did on Ohtani.
Everything I could find from interviews screams Seattle. And since I wrote about the match, the Mariners hired the perfect person to assure he’s handled well to maximize his performance and minimize risk of injury. It doesn’t surprise me that Seattle got further than NY.
Sorry Yankees fans, I hope the crow isn’t too bland.
Hahaha poor yankee fan’s
Why
Go through any MLBTR post about Ohtani
I’m actually relieved to find out quickly. Team is still excellent without him.
Yankees can use the money for the prospect the Braves just lost. So either way the money will go to good use.
He’a going to Cardinals. Braves were always a handshake agreement and Cards were 2nd
Pretty sure it was more than a handshake
If this was because of hiring Boone, we were joking about that
Lol
Understandable he wants to be on the west coast and smaller market. Good for him, time to try and resign CC
Plain and Simple, lmao, he knows he cannot make it in
NEW YORK and that is why Sonny Gray was having a problem..
ehyanks….Maybe he doesn’t like the arrogance exuded by many of the teams fans.
He played before sold out crowds of 58,000 and in the NPB championship…but yea…he can’t handle NY /s
Love the NY fans back tracking and being so butt hurt lol they couldn’t wait to get him and they were the best team ever once they got him but now… he couldn’t make it in NY lmao
Definitely sucks we didn’t get him but now it’s time to move on lol
@ehyanks
Cry me a river. He just does not like the yankees and their arrogant fanbase. Yankees were the first team cut. You losers never had a chance.
No he broke all your yankee hearts. Boo hoo. Go cry to momma. Boo hoo.
So much fun watching him toy with the Yankee fans. Let all you arrogant jerks get your hopes up and them BAM he breaks your heart and crushes your hopes and he REJECTS everything the Yankees stand for!
Translation:”I’m jealous of Yankees fans because their team is the most successful in history, more popular and successful than my team… I’m so happy they didn’t sign a guy who never threw a pitch in the Major Leagues”.
Translation: 3/4 of your championships were won with like 12 teams in the league and hardly any rules. The current ones were bought. Good for you you live in a huge city have more money to spend on players so you can pay more for the best players. You don’t understand the difference between jealousy and hating a team because the fans are jerks. I have always said the only thing worse than a Red Sox fan is a Yankee fan. This is a typical response from your spoiled fan base. Just like when Felix was in his prime you thought we should just give him to you because you were the Yankees.
Lastly saying Ohtani will have no success in Seattle is real intelligent Ichiro had no success did he? He won’t be a first ballot HOFer will he? I suppose you think he will wear a Yankee hat in the HOF don’t you? You do because that is how you think.
But he struck out some of the best the MLB had to offer in the WBC! And your point is what?
Here here. I’m for the CC re-sign. Use the international $ on Maitan or others.
Well that sucks as a Yankees fan
Well that’s a bummer. But these last couple days of reports about him make him seem like a huge premadonna.
But good luck to him.
Lol, premadonna. You’re right, he should definitely act way more postmadonna
lol I see what you did there.
I never get to comments like these first. 🙁
yanks 02026.
yup, you got that right..
yanks02026
MLB.com: What was your reaction the first time someone described you as the Babe Ruth of Japan?
Ohtani: He’s almost like a God figure in baseball, so being compared to that is humbling. But I don’t think I’m at that level yet.
MLB.com: How many hitters in Japan do you think are better than you right now?
Ohtani: Oh, so many, I can’t even count that high.
MLB.com: Any pitchers?
Ohtani: Same thing, too many to count.
MLB.com: What do you most want American fans to know about yourself?
Ohtani: The only thing I can promise is that I will play as hard as I can. And maybe that will inspire other people, that is the most honorable thing about playing baseball.
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/262669080/a-february-qa-with-shohei-ohtani-on-mlb-more/
Yea he sure sounds like a “premadonna. “
@yanks02026 and ehyanks
Oh so no you did not really want him huh? Too much of a premadona for the yankee fans … oh boo hoo.
Stop your crying you winey yankee fans are like a bunch of cry babies. Man up! You are rejected!
As a Baseball fan first, I’m here to laugh at my fellow Yankee fans who guaranteed Ohtani would be playing in the Bronx. Next time keep your mouths shut and stop making guarantees. It’s the arrogance and smack talk which makes other fans hate us.
Now they’re all going to say how bad Ohtani is, and how he’s going to be a bust.
I’m a Yankees fan. I think he’ll be really good. We’re not all douchebags haha.
I think he’ll be very good too.
Bingo!
Stop virtue signaling. Its not even disrespectful to believe that a player will sign with your team anyway, so youre not even getting at anything tangible
@MB923
Very well said. And 100% true. Nice to know at least 1 yankee fan has some class
We actually have many fans with class. Unfortunately it’s the arrogant ones that draw more attention. All fan bases have both however.
Thank you. I was getting annoyed with Yankee fans not being able to comprehend how he could go anywhere else when there are a half dozen very realistic contenders out there and possibly other teams that, for whatever reason, he deems a better fit. Any chance you could teach other Yankee fans your ways?
Thanks MB. It’s Comments like these that make people think twice, before generalizing an entire fan-base. I don’t think anyone could have said it better.
Finally all those Yankees fans can shut up
true, and I love it… great for baseball
hahahaha and now you hear all the childish eff you’s and wonder why. No respect for anyone
This made my day, no yankees for ohtani. And the Mariners are in the mix to get him
With all due respect , I find it pretty sad if a baseball player not signing with the Yankees makes your day. What if he signs with the Angels, your teams rival? Is your day still made because he didn’t sign with the Yankees? Or did it get much worse because he signed with a real division rival? Just asking
no, it makes our day because in every post featuring Otani, there are always comments about how it’s a sure thing he will become a Yankee. Jokes on Yankee fans
I asked Craig so why are you answering for him?
bastros88….. Jokes on some Yankee fans…fixed it for ya
Lol burn
you commented on a post, and you are surprised someone responded? hmmmmm……..
I commented And asked a question. There’s a difference.
So why are you asking that question and not asking your fellow fans why they’re hoping he’s a bust or gets injured just because he spurned your team?
Because I know the answer to that and you just answered it yourself as well. Because he didn’t sign with them.
for a friend?
Everyone hates the Yankees. That’s just how it works.
I would rather see him sign with anyone other than a division rival… Id rather see him on the yankees than anyone else in the AL West.
Thanks for the answer
Can’t wait to see the response of Seattle fans when he decides to go elsewhere.
But according to every third Yankees comment on here he was destined to sign in the Bronx
Well it was mainly the media pushing him going to the Yankees.
No it was mostly arrogant yankee fans pushing it
It’s going to be Seattle. It’s the team I figured and makes too much sense.
Seattle!
dodgers havent been excluded have they?
Not yet
“According to Cashman, as per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, Ohtani seems to be leaning towards West Coast teams in smaller markets.” So SD and SEA?
San Fran is not a small market. At least not for baseball. Looks like it may be Seattle. Possibly San Diego.
At this point, I’m done guessing. I thought the Yankees made a lot of sense for him (and I’m a White Sox fan, so I knew the odds of him landing on my team were slim). Seattle seems like it’s not going to be a contender for a few years; San Diego may be one sooner with their farm system. Giants could turn it all around if they got Stanton and him. Or he could surprise a bunch of us again and go somewhere completely different.
The Mets love to act like they’re a small market team even though they’re not in a small market. Maybe they use this to their advantage. (yes, I realize the Mets have a 0.0% chance of signing him)
He obviously values being close to Japan. Good for him. Hopefully the Yanks give Chance Addams a shot in the bigs.
Need to slap an MLB team in Hawaii and he’d be pretty close.
Adams deserves the Chance…I’ll see myself out.
Nice. Don’t forget about the Padres. Lots of history between SD and Ohtani.
Sam Diego makes sense, but I feel like Seattle makes more sense. He is the last piece I think we need(as long as everyone stays healthy) to finally make the playoffs.
San*, and I don’t know if he’s okay with waiting a few years to win.
Mark my words. Padres finish with a better record than the Mariners in 2018.
Will do.
How does that make more sense?
Also, weren’t you the guy ripping on Prellers extension?
Different thread. Lol
And if Preller lands Ohtani, all the haters will flip
Oh I know. Just funny he was bashing Preller then agreed Padres we’re in the running for him.
That would be really cool to see him in San Diego. His history and connections with the team would make them a pretty good match. We’ll have to see if Preller and co. can make it happen!
Good for him and the team that lands him-no doubt a guaranteed ring.
How is it no doubt…
But wait, I thought he was certain to sign with New York…
Yea what happened to the yankees. Haha
Also maybe he don’t think he can handle the big spot light. So if he goes to a smaller team, then people won’t focus so much on him.
He’ll probably go to the M’s and then they will ditch him like they did to Ichiro.
They ditched Ichiro?
Mariners ditched Ichiro? Wut?
you would think a Yankees fan would understand what “selling” is, after the 2016 deadline lol
yanks020, we THINK the same, lol I just mentioned
that
They “ditched” Ichiro after 10 years. Found some sucker team to take him just as his productivity was declining.
You mean a team that made the playoffs before they did after that and that easily ended their best season ever?
No thanks to Ichiro.
Wouldn’t it be great if the Stanton and Ohtani sagas ended on the same day? The league wouldn’t know what to do with itself.
Neither would most on this site.
Welcome to the Mariners Mr. Ohtani.
I want him to come to the Mariners as much as anyone but we shouldn’t start sounding like Yankees fans
Haha it was more just an assessment of the statement really, I don’t have any attachments to Seattle. To me, with what he said, he’s probably most likely to land with Seattle or San Diego. It’d be cool if he’d expand his horizons past the West but I understand the attachment and appreciate that he’s more focused on smaller markets.
How is San Francisco a small market, especially when they consider everything down to San Jose their market?
I agree, but is Seattle a small market then? I always thought them a larger market…
Seattle always seemed like the destination. when I saw questionnaire.
If he can’t handle the big stage, i don’t want him.
He maybe doesn’t want to deal with a huge/sometimes hostel media. The northeast writers are terrible and mean.
I didn’t know youth hostels had medias.
@kherz23
Oh you wanted him bad! He rejected you. He can handle the big stage just fine. Its just arrogant yankee fans like you he wants no part of.
Your are burned bad! You are hurt! Now you lash out that he cant handle a big stage because he want no part of being a yankee. You arrogant ass
I’m not a Yankees fan!
if he doesn’t want to deal with the media and is intimidated by them, that might affect his performance and i wouldn’t want to have a player like that on my team. I think that is perfectly reasonable opinion (which you aren’t required to agree with) and i don’t think i am the “arrogant ass” in this situation. I’m rooting for Otani, and hope he will go to the padres/Mariners. Hopefully he can become a star in this league because that would be great for baseball
Good thing you aren’t the ones making the decisions then.
Those grapes get more sour every day.
So a big market East Coast team isnt what he wants, mayyyybe thats why Philly writers didnt spill a bunch of ink on him…not some racist conspiracy.
Everyone’s saying SD or SEA but, what about OAK? Still seems more plausible to me that he’d go AL over NL
Oakland could be up there.
Scratch that, bye Oakland.
Because they won’t pay him
Oakland is out. It’s probably Seattle or San Diego. Long shot maybe Angels.
Seems he kinda ruled Philly out early
MLB.com: What cities are you curious about and would like to see?
Ohtani: The Rocky Balboa statue, I want a picture of that.
MLB.com: Philadelphia has a baseball team, you know.
Ohtani: No, I just want to visit there.
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/262669080/a-february-qa-with-shohei-ohtani-on-mlb-more/
I wasn’t bashing the Phillies…I’m a Phillies fan myself…just posting what he said.
Oakland is out of the running per the reports
I think Seattle would be a good place for him to go. I love it that he is not going to the Yankees despite all the people that thought he was. Now all we will hear is how isn’t that good anyway and the Yankees didn’t really want him.
The hate is insane! Criticisms about “the big stage” and rebuffal of the Bronx…not everyone likes New York. He can go wherever he wants, why is this effecting fan egos so much jeez. I’d rather live in like San Diego too, its a million times nicer
Randy Johnson wanted out of the Bronx not soon after signing as a free agent with the Yankees. New York isn’t for everyone. There are certain places players just don’t wanna go when they have a choice, it’s that simple. Every kid doesn’t dream of being a Yankee.
He was traded to them. He didn’t sign with them.
Frankly, if he was looking for a small market, I’m glad he wasn’t swayed by the Yankees’ presentation. It gives me pause when I see a player say they don’t want to play in a big market but join the Yankees anyway.
For him, it’s good he recognizes his limitations, or at least, his personal needs for success. I would have hated to end up with another Javier Vazquez or Carl Pavano, or to a lesser extent A.J. Burnett: guys who weren’t great in pinstripes but excelled in smaller markets.
This is not hate: this is pragmatism. He’s obviously enormously talented. And maybe his desire stems from more personal than professional desires. Either way, I hope to see him on the Giants (so the Yanks don’t have to face him) and I hope he has a hell of a career.
Anyone out there wanting an example of passive-aggressive this is spot on.
Yankee fan here^
I hope my fellow Yankee fans bragging Ohtani signing with them, is all but guaranteed, feel bad.
Nothing in life is guaranteed.
Sheesh lol was not expecting the Yankees to be out of it already. But aye whatever floats his boat. Guess resigning CC should be an automatic now and maybeeeee one other starter?
As for Ohtani, my guess is SD
I am a Yankee Fan, and the only reason he isn’t picking us or even talking to us is because we got a DH, and he might not be able to start and hit every other day! I got a feeling he picks a NL team!!!
They don’t have a DH though… Reports are still coming out, but the last one said Ohtani and his reps were very impressed with the Yankees’ presentation, but they can’t make NY a smaller market or be on the West Coast…
Rumors flying the the hiring of Booney did not help Yankees chances. He did not want to play for Booney
Ok yankee fan now he did not pick your team because you already have a DH and your baseball knowledge tells you that he will therefore be going to an NL team. Team that have no DH! Yankee fanbase lacks knowledge of baseball. Its amazing
Yankee fan base lacks knowledge of baseball? Make more generalized comments please hahahaha…
I guess the Astros are still in the running. I hope that Ohtani thinks the AL West Astros are on the west coast.
We’re a mid-market that loves our players. We never turn on a guy unless it’s over character issues.
pretty sure he can google west coast teams in mlb and realize houston isnt on the west coast.
he could even google houston texas and use google earth to see its not
But…but…Ohtani is supposed to wear pinstripes according to Yankee fans.
Maybe if we call him the Japanese Babe Ruth one more time it will make it happen
Rockies and Cubs also wear pinstripes.
Hilarious that Jon Daniels has been preparing for this for years and he didn’t even know his preferences. What an embarrassment.
For this Yankees fan, it’s been a rough couple of days, first Boone hired and now Ohtani. Eek
Right?!!! Yanks are 0 for their first 2 this winter. Do we chalk this up to the bad karma Cashman created when he gave Girardi the bum’s rush outta New York immediately following the ALCS?
Lol maybe! Hopefully this is it for the karma debt or it will be one long winter
Well I hope the twins can get a head start on Darvish. They really didn’t have much of a chance on Ohtani. I think Seattle would be a good fit. I still have my doubts about an NL team. Even if they promise him ABs, it’s going to be hard to see a team letting him out in the field after an inevitable extension.
I actually think an NL is a better fit. He’s guaranteed to hit every 5th day, and if he can truly hit MLB pitching he’ll be a top pinch-hit option. As for the AL, I doubt any team wants one of their top SPs being a full-time DH. Every SP that makes all his starts is tired by the end of August. What kind of burden is a team putting on a guy when it asks a SP to make all his starts, go deep into games, and DH, even if it’s only part time?
Not surprised the Twins were out. West coast always seemed the best fit. Padres or Mariners are the best fit, I think.
Yankees Owned!
I never thought it was a lock that he was going to pick the Yankees (yes I am a Yankees’ fan), but I did think the Yankees would be a finalist to sign him. It seemed like they had so many things that were reported he was interested in as a franchise (younger team, chance to win it all, things to help him assimilate to the US), but then you hear the report that said he wants to be the only Japanese player on the team and immediately that made me pause. I personally don’t understand that one; makes him sound extremely shallow, or full of himself or too much of a diva, but regardless of all that he gets to choose where he goes plain and simple. One would think that if there was already an established Japanese player on a team that it would help him get used to things over here just that much easier. If he thinks that playing on a smaller market team will lessen the pressure on him, or the media presence, he’s wrong with that one. He’s been hyped up so much for quite some time now, that no matter where he goes, there will be tons of bright lights shining on him all the time. Good luck to him, wherever he goes.
Seems like the guy doesn’t want to win… as a Yankee fan I don’t understand what he could be thinking to rule out the yankees and red sox off the bat is foolish winning isnt a priority for everyone i guess.
That’s right. The Red Sox and Yankees are the only teams in the MLB capable of winning. /s
They’ve won the last 8 World Series in a row. Oh wait. They’ve won 1 of the last 8.
I have enormous respect if he wants to help the Padres or Mariners win their first World Series ever. I’d have less if he wanted to glam onto a team that might win without him.
Why would you respect someone who passes up money and winning? San Diego can’t pay him long term while Seattle have a weak farm and aging core.
thetruth…Why would you not respect someone who holds to their ideal? Not everyone bows to the almighty dollar and if you have followed baseball at all you know that the teams that are “supposed to win” don’t always come through.
why can’t they? they will have less than 40 mil committed to players after next year, and they plan to be around $150 mil in the next 2-3 years. Read up
Padres2019ha-Exactly! They have plenty of money to burn, his agent is from San Diego, his trainer is the Padres trainer, Preller scouted him from the time he was 18, they have 7 or 8 top quality prospects coming in the next year, and they have one of the best pitching coaches in the game. Padres would be a perfect fit.
This sticks it to all those people who thought a few extra dollars of International Pool money would sway Ohtani into sign with the Yanks. It was never about the money – if it were, he wouldn’t be walking away nine figures to come and play for a fraction of that here.
Wonder if yankees will go heavy after kevin maitan now.
Hope so. I don’t see why they wouldn’t but who knows
This is getting pretty interesting, big teams off the board, starting to sound as though he could go somewhere completely unexpected.
As a Mariners fan who would have been cool with Shohei Ohtani signing with almost anybody besides the Yankees (and the Angels), this news is exciting as hell. But! Since LAA are still involved and have that Trout guy on their team, I’m still a bit nervous he will end up in our division against us. If he doesn’t go to the Mariners or Angels, maybe it will be San Diego that gets it done, with them being a smaller market than either. Whatever the result, I am happy things are starting to finally move.
At least the Yankees didn’t get him!
Would you rather the Angels get him over the Yankees? I surely hope you say No.
As a Mariners fan, I would be more upset over the Angels getting him, though I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t enjoyable to see so many Yankees fans disappointed–specifically the ones who spouted off arrogantly. I know you’re not one of them and I appreciated your comments above.
I can see the Giants getting both. They have the money and taste for winning. Should be interesting.
Have fun on the Left Coast ….
personally , Ohtani was a luxury for the Yankees, but not the end of the world . We are so stacked at every position, it will hardly be a blip on our Championship runs….
Please stop
MB923….It’s seems lonely being a voice of reason but admirable.
Nah, he’s not the only one, but one of a few Yankee fans that have some objectivity and can be respected in their opinions. As a Giant’s fan I even see some unbiased opinions from Dodgers fans as well. I just wish it were the norm instead of the minority.
^^^^ This ^^^^
I am also a reasonable Yankee fan like MB923. Seeing some of these hilarious comments from some of the other Yankees’ fans here make me laugh, and shake my head at the same tim hahahahaha. (Let’s not get it twisted though, the fan base for every team has rational and irrational fans, reasonable and unreasonable fans or knowledge and not so knowledgeable fans haha.)
Absolutely. Sometimes I cringe over some other Giant’s fan’s comment.
Lol
Your trolling right?
I posted this on the hiring of Boone but how good will the Yankees be if they go through all the pitching injuries the Mariners went through last year? They set a record for pitchers used. They called up 2 starting pitchers from AA. We were in the running until the last couple weeks. You can look great right now you never know what the season holds.
I keep reading people saying we won’t be contenders for a few years. We were in contention last year like I said until the last two weeks with all those injuries. With Ohtani and all the pitchers stay healthy there is no reason why we won’t at least be in the running for a WC spot this year. Will be hard to pass the Astros but they will have to stay healthy too. Maybe that is exactly the type of situation he is looking for.
“So stacked at every position”? Judge is a monster, your bullpen is intimidating, Severino is good, and you have a great farm system. You have a few other nice pieces, but that’s hardly stacked at every position.
I am a Cubs fan, but must admit SD may be a great fit, larger park to pitch in and yet enough holes in the lineup to allow for him to hit, this is getting interesting as some of the supposedly early favorites are out!!!
Wrigley with wind blowing out, Maddon bats him lead off , pitches to one batter in 6th 7th and closes the 9th. Gets game winning rbi, hold and save all in same game.
Based on the reporter preferences the Mariners have to be the favorites. This would be the exact splash that we need toner-energize the franchise and the fan base! If Jerry pulls this off it would make up for all the terrible moves he’s made.
Just curious what position you play on the team cause you said “we”
You are the worst kind of person. We pay everyone’s salary in MLB. Stfu with that.
Yanks1990 you are why people hate Yankee fans. The problem is you are such a loser you enjoy it.
Guido
I know he wants to play on the west coast but I would love to see him with the royals
Oh Yankee fans YOU ARE OUT OF THE RUNNING. Making Booney manager did not help.
All the arrogant Yankee fans where are you know. All you obnoxious know it alls that so arrogantly said he was 100% going to the Yankees. Said it was a slam dunk. A foregone conclusion. Who said its over that he would be a Yankee. Who said any reports about other star players from Japan did not apply to the Yankees.
Well …. in your face
Cogent argument, well reasoned. You must must be an intellectual titan!
He’s afraid of the biggest stage. Going to be a bust with that kind of confidence.
hahahaha
@yukongold
Defend your arrogance please.
You say he has no confidence. Why is that because he want nothing to do with Booney and your Yankees? New York is the only big stage?
Now he is going to be a bust suddenly because he does not want yankee pinstripes. Boo hoo. You wanted him. You craved him. He burned you and you cant handle it
yukongold……He played before sold out crowds of 58,000 and in the NPB championship…but yea…he can’t handle NY /s
Right, because MLB in general is a small stage, the only big stage being in Yankee Stadium. Those small stages in small towns like LA and Chicago are so safe.
Don’t think he is afraid of it, think he’d rather be it’s opponent. Shows more guys than signing for money or picking one of the best teams in the league
Definition of Sour Grapes.
JKB …. I was tired of many of NYY fans who had decided it was a forgone conclusion he would sign with them too, but don’t you see the irony here? You are posting arrogant and obnoxious statements, time and again, about them being arrogant and obnoxious.
Yea Cat Mando actually It did occur to me which is why I stopped. Don’t want to be them
Wise IMO
C’mon, Cleveland!
Dodgers
Get it done Theo.
Chip and a chair and then a prayer.
We can only hope. Of the teams remaining the cubs are the best team still in the mix. Dodgers are close behind.
I’m not a Cle fan but it does seem strange that of all the 2017 playoff teams, Cle is the only one not mentioned at all in the reports. Francona had a very good relationship with Matsusaka when he won 20 gms and the Sox beat Col in the 2007 WS.
I don’t care where he goes now as long as it wasn’t the Yankees or the red soxs I’m truly happy made my day to listen to all the Yankees fans whining now about how he sucks lmao
All Yankee fans? No. But the ones that are are just being jerks.
Just the ones being jerks
Midwest
Watch the Dodgers somehow get Otani, Stanton and Maitan.
The Mets are always out of the running they are a cheap organization.
Getting a longer leash for service time purposes is probably more important than the extra money from signing bonuses, I guess. Teams won’t risk illegally offering him a 6 year deal before he signs officially
Dodgers all the way
Padres still in
I’ve said for months now that they should be the front runners, AJ Preller has known the kid since he was 16 and last year he added Hideo Nomo and Takashi Saito to the front office for this exact reason.
People roasted me when I said it on here but I guess we will have to see what happens.
I was severely roasted myself just yesterday when I said it just feels like he is coming to San Diego. All of these internet know it alls. I think it is down to Seattle and San Diego.
It’s amazing us Padre fans know more about baseball than these tired yank fans. it’s because we just don’t sit back and enjoy the ride. We gotta scratch and claw for media reports, and monitor our minor league system because we won’t be big players in free agency
Getting Otani would be the biggest FA signing for the Padres since probably Kevin Brown in 98′. It would be nice to see the tide turn and see the Padres sign a guy that everybody had claimed would be a Yankee, Dodger, Cub, Ranger, Red Sox, etc. all because of their past track record.
It would be a nice cherry on top of Preller’s extension if he can seal the deal and land Otani.
Do teams have to wait a year to trade international signings or can any team theoretically trade for him if they are willing to give up the farm?
Anywhere but the giants!
Padres, Giants, and Dodgers all limited to giving out a $300k bonus due to penalty. Money really doesn’t matter to this guy.
According the Jeff Passan, the Giants have $1,835,000 to spend on him.
small market… and minus the Giants he does not mind losing sounds like a perfect match for the Pads
Great to hear he wants to be on the West coast !!! Orange county is the place to be … best weather in the nation and not in crowded LA … with Trout as the main man and a large Asian population and with the Angels having about 50 million under the luxury tax they can fill 2nd and 3rd base holes this off season … with Pijols not having surgery this off season maybe he comes back to play 1B and leaves DH open for Ohtani to hit a few games a week …
I can understand him wanting to be on the West Coast, but the small market part? On the one hand, it could be interpreted as him just not wanting to be a big distraction, center of attention type of thing. On the other, it could be taken to mean he’s afraid of the spotlight…really though, good for him wherever he lands; hope he has a great career here. As a Red Sox fan, with Ohtani AND Stanton now both non-possibilities…Dombrowski better be on the phone with Scott Boras as I type this, securing a contract for JD Martinez
The angels aren’t mentioned as being out I hope they get a meeting we need help everywhere but catcher outfield and short stop
Angels are actually mentioned as being in it still
I’m slightly surprised Arizona is our already. I thought before this came out it would be a good fit, they may not be that interested anyway, may be part of it.
I’m sure that’s it.
Ray ever team is interested
Giants are getting ohtani and Stanton. Going to be an off-season to Remember!
hell yes.
Maybe, but looking at their roster, it’ll be another season to forget.
So many East Coast writers knew to a certainty that Ohtani was going to the Yanks. They alone concluded this with no shred of evidence. Now this is a big surprise.
I figured he may not sign with the Yankees especially due to the injury plagues Japanese players have suffered with the Yankees. I know the Japan players always get hurt but the Yankees dealing with certain Japanese legends not living up to the hype or dealing with injury their entire career in new York may not have boded well for them especially when one of his considerations was medical and training staffs
Why don’t you list some examples of these so called injured Japanese players when going to the yankees. Oh yeah thats right, its not true.. lol
Hideki Matsui and Tanaka… what you stupid?
Don’t forget Hideki Irabu!
Hideki Matsui was about as durable as they come despite being older…didn’t miss a single game his first 3 seasons as a Yankee until he broke his wrist on a freak play in the outfield…you seem to be the one that might be “stupid” as you’re childishly calling everyone else
My point was the list of Japanese/Yankees players who had injury problems or didn’t live up to the hype.
Tanaka injury
Matsui = not Godzilla
Hedeki Irabu lol
Lei Igawa lmao
Don’t start with Tanaka. He was worth it. (Especially playoffs)
Matsui IS GODZILLA. SINGLE HANDILY RESPONSIBLE FOR 2009. Without him, there is NO #27. 09 World Series MVP well deserved.
Irabu? RIP.
Igawa? You’re digging deep here.
He was injured twice for the Yankees, and never returned to form after the injury. Tanaka has not been the same at all since hurting his arm. Irabu and igewa just flat out blow
I think Ohtani looked at those guys transition and said how Can I not end up like them. Answer- not sign with the Yankees for a start.
Actually matsui hit 50 home runs in Japan the year before coming to the majors. He is considered their greatest hitter. Comes to the Yankees hits 16 hr and proceeded to hit 30 home runs only once in his career.
The point once again was living up to the hype. And the hype on matsui was much much higher than breaking 30 hr once in his career.
And no, a pitcher who has a career 3.56 era should not be getting paid 275 million
Yeah Tanaka was really worth the hype and 275 million?!
The Yankees pay 300 million in total for a pitcher whose arm is going to fall off soon, has a 3.56 era. And he earned the 300 million because he pitched well
In one post season that didn’t even make it to the ws
Tuffy Rhodes is 13th all time in Japan for career homeruns but couldn’t hit his way out of a wet paper bag in MLB…Matsui was a 2 time all star and was the 2009 WS MVP during his MLB career and was durable…Tanaka’s contract is 7 years for 155 million…you’re not making any good points for someone that likes to call other people stupid
Stop spreading that $275 million fake news BS.
$20M Posting fee included, Tanaka was a $175MM investment.
Tanaka has 3 years $67MM of which remain.
hardly the albatross or disappointment, you make him out to be.
Your arguing irrelevant facts neither matsui or Tanaka lived up to the hype, and Tanaka certainly didn’t earn 175 million
Tanaka did not live up to the hype? lol. He is a number one on 25 teams.
Relevant: You made the Yankees investment, $100M more than it is, incorrectly posting that figure several times in this thread.
I’m sorry, even for the Yankees, big difference between $275M and $175M, and I already corrected you, when you said Tanaka cost 275 before, but you’re regurgitating the same BS. So hella relevant.
Relevant fact#2
You pointed out he has a “career 3.56 ERA” (In AL East, no less!) So therefore, taking a look at what’s left of his original contract, relative to his performance so far in the majors. (“3.56 ERA” ) ]that figure is…
3 years, $67MM. I was one of the few ecstatic,, Tanaka opted in. . Even in a “down year” Tanaka had 194 SO, and 41BB, and last game of the season: 15 strikeouts, 0BB, 0 R in 7IP. Don’t get me started about the playoffs, (Where your performance, matters the most)
Yeah a 22 million dollar pitcher with a 4+ era last year
Yeah idk if 25 teams need an ace with a 4.74 era last season lmao
Some people look at FIP and xFIP to see if there’s deviation in data.
Tanaka had a 4.34 FIP and 3.44 xFIP….
Also Top-10 in baseball, allowed fewest walks among qualified SP.
And his K/9 was a personal career high (9.79)
Pherhaps most importantly, he’s a PLAYOFF ACE. ( 4 Starts, 25.0IP, 0.80 WHIP, 1.44 ERA)
Yeah a total of 4 starts in the play off…. that’s a great sample size lol.
Also I can tell you the deviation lol, he gave up 35 bombs!
What are you even trying to say Dannydeman? Whatever it is, it makes no sense and has no legitimacy.
I’m trying to say he didn’t sign with the Yankees partially because they have a terrible track record with their Japanese players.. easy enough?
Danny…and yet you still haven’t listed those players as yanks02026 asked. Care to?
You too, hedeki matsui and Tanaka, you stupid?
Wow, what a long extensive list. Who would have thought ball player get injured. As far as stupid, no. I compare IQ’s anytime you like. It’s also rare that I resort to name calling so we are different in two aspects.
You sir, have no clue what you are talking about.
My iq is 130. Also considering how many Japanese stars have come over yeah two busts and 2 injured is kind of extensive
who will sign the diva?
huh?
At least throw out Hideki Irabu or Kei Igawa if you’re going to run your mouth lol
Who knows Tanaka and him train together maybe Tanaka thinks he should have gotten surgery a couple years ago and told him as much…
Pretty sure Tanaka is the one who didn’t want to get the surgery done.
Tanaka chose not to have surgery
And whose medical staff opinions was he being advised by?
He was advised by his own doctors he mad his own decision after consulting with various medical professionals
Then maybe he isn’t too pleased with the Yankees strength and conditioning staff, just a possibility
He is above average in Japan which makes him average in the majors ….. never seen so many teams fight over another pampered player demanding what they want or will or won’t do… can anyone name me one player who lived up to every year of a monster contract, always a few down years, then a few little injuries massive contracts always benefit the player and there agent never the team they sign with
“Above average” is selling him short – he’s an elite player in Japan.
And of course monster contracts tend to lean towards the Players in relative value – just like pre-arb, arb and cost-effective contracts lean towards the Team in value.
You can’t make an argument by cutting out half of the facts. Well, you can, you just look stupid doing it.
On top of that, he isn’t even getting a monster contract! He’s capped at chump change.
High draft picks get 6+ million signing bonuses, and he’s a much more elite prospect than anyone in the draft since Bryce Harper
Teams fight over him because he is not a true free agent and the price to be paid for the potential talent warrants that its a no lose situation
Hell be a good pitcher but i don’t think he’ll make it as a batter. His swing looks like the typical pitchers batting with the funky stretching for the ball swing.
@yanks02026
On that we agree. Its kind of a big long swing
I understand wanting to play in a certain region. Does anyone know what is Shohei Ohtani’s reason for wanting a small market? It seems SEA is the odds on favorite. LAA would be a better choice on the field.
SEA: $1,570,500 bonus – Aging Stars to share spotlight – King Felix, Cano
SDP $ 600,000 bonus – No stars
LAA $ 150,000 bonus – Mike Trout! Pujols (3,000 hits)
LAD $ 300,000 bonus – Kershaw, Seagar, Bellinger, Puig, Turner
SFG $ 300,000 bonus – Posey, Bum
CHC $ 300,000 bonus – Rizzo, Bryant, Joe Maddon
Less money and less talent to replace him if he’s not doing well. Also more likely to be the franchise player
Possibly not ready or up to handling a media/fan base that will blast if he does bad.
LAA $ 1.,315,000. bonus money ….. after the trade with Atlanta … Simmons – best defensive shortstop in MLB … Maldanado – gold glove catcher …
My bonus money is not up to date:
SFG $1.8350M
SEA $1.5575M
LAA $1.3150M
When did the Giants get 1.5MM in spending money?
I can’t find any trades… I got it from here:
MLB Pipeline
✔
@MLBPipeline
Updated international pool totals:
$3,535,000 – #Rangers
$3,500,000 – #Yankees
$3,070,000 – #MNTwins
$2,266,750 – #Pirates
$1,835,000 – #SFGiants
$1,557,500 – #Mariners
$1,490,000 – #Marlins
$1,315,000 – #Angels https://twitter.com/JonathanMayo/status/936321837004460032 …
3:04 PM – Nov 30, 2017
Is that what the Giants can spend on Ohtani, or just what they have? I thought they were limited to 300K on Ohtani?
I don’t know where the pipeline got the info.
That’s fine. I appreciate the comment. This just seems different than many are saying, but that’s not your fault.
Thanks for sharing.
IDK if this explains the discrepancy or not, but the $300k is always referred to as bonus money, not salary. I’m guessing the Giants are limited to a $300k bonus, and a salary of $1.5m. That’s just a guess though.
SF may have $ but they are one of 12 teams capped at $300K
$$$ for Cle ??
“$$$ for Cle ??”
Cleveland (unless they made trades recently that I don’t remember are at $10K just like CO.
Given his preferences, I am actually kinda surprised that the Cubs still have a chance at him.
Surprised cubs haven’t been ruled out because they’re both a big market team and not west coast.
Same goes for the Dodgers
Shows how foolishly naive he is….the padres and mariners are baseball dumpster fires! May as well stay in Japan
This guy ^^ haha
Sounds like a Junior Varsity comment
Well truthfully they aren’t exactly going to be taking baseball by storm any time soon
No, but in 2 years they will and that will give him time to get acclimated
That should tell ownership something about their front office of the Cardinals. When the top 2 available players on the market don’t want to come to St. Louis, the current team roster developed by Mozeliak, does not make the Cardinals a desirable team to spend an extended contract with. As most everybody has said at sometime or another on these post, the front office does things backwards. Maybe by adding another big name player first to show good faith, these 2 players may have shown more of a desire to play for the Cardinals.
Good position point Cardinals17
High draft picks get 6+ million signing bonuses, and he’s a much more elite prospect than anyone in the draft since Bryce Harper
Good. Now that teams know if they are in & out the out teams can make trades or sign free agents.
Reds are still in play! Lolol
Surprised that the Dodgers are still in the running with their big market
The Dodgers are big market but I’m sure that they check many other boxes he has on his checklist and they also give him a pretty good chance at winning and doing so for a long time…that and pitching alongside Clayton Kershaw will probably be a scenario that entices him
Come to Cincy! You can play any position!
I’ve been saying the giants should be considered finalists for him. Great environment, large Japan town and japanese population (I’m Japanese btw) And he’s from iwate, And the climate in SF is exactly like iwate
What an offseason it would be if they landed both Ohtani and Stanton.
Winning in the off season doesn’t always transfer to winning during the season. The media declared the 2008 Detroit Tigers world champs before spring training ever began. They finished in last.
It’s true that winning the off-season means nothing. The same could be said for the Padres when Preller made all those splashy moves. But if I’m the Giants I’d be willing to gamble on the regular season if I’d won the off-season with Stanton and Ohtani. I think any team would.
It’s true, there are several teams that won the offseason and had little to show for it. At the same time, though, it’s rare that a team sits on its hands all winter and experiences a huge increase in wins. The Giants need to improve to get back into contention; these moves wouldn’t guarantee it, but they’re much better than doing nothing.
Tribe still hanging around.
Why do people assume absolutes? He said he preferred a west coast team, but supposedly the Cubs are still in, so I would assume it’s not a hard and fast rule. He prefers a smaller market, but SF is still in. The M’s are a good guess, but no one can guess with any certainty which team he’ll pick. I would imagine there are complex reasons in his decision. He might like the idea of Trout in the OF behind him, Or Cano at 2B behind him. Or maybe he’ll like the idea of throwing to Posey. No one knows, and I bet even Ohtani doesn’t know yet.
He would also be able to watch King Felix or Madison Bumgarner and Jonny Cueto pitch every 5 days. Learn from them how to pitch and dominate in the MLB.
Felix and Cueto have not dominated for awhile
Cueto was 18-5 with a 2.79 ERA just one year ago.
Other then the bad PR, what stops whoever signs him from flipping him for a huge haul of prospects? Would be a bold move, but if it works winning > bad PR.
Attachment 46 of the CBA…Section H I believe….it would be considered Circumvention by any reasonable person and I am pretty sure MLB and the MLBPA as well
He will probably have a no trade clause in his contract. That’s why he made a questionnaire about cities and culture.
@Paul…..Not sure if a minor league contract can contain a NTC
Ok thanks. Was wondering about.
Compared to Tokyo, every west coast is a small market.
Ohtani isn’t from Tokyo and doesn’t play in Tokyo. He doesn’t even play on the same island as Tokyo.
Savage.
Somebody got a geography lesson!
These butt hurt comments are hilarious. I bet when you miss out on Maitan, you’ll be saying he was overrated anyways as well. Don’t take it personally fellas
If I recall It was reported Shohei didn’t want to go to a place that already had a popular Japanese player so he can create his own name and brand for a new team. Was that reported earlier in the offseason? Does anyone know.
Don’t understand why there isn’t a single person mentioning ball park factors here
Yes it might be west coast teams left
but the teams that are left tend to be teams with pitcher friendly ball parks.
If the Cubs are in it they are the exception,
but maybe the kids just trying to be smart
since most teams value him more as a pitcher than a hitter.
Fairly surprised he’s not even sitting down with the big guys. I mean if he sits down with the Cubs I believe them to b a front runner with Maddens history of moving guys around to get there bats in the lineup. But as I understand it he wants to b in a market he’s not getting pressure right away. Which completely goes against him saying he wants to challenge himself against the best players in the MLB. But, I guess from reading this article I’m guessing he goes to the Padres?! Or the Mariners. Not sure that’s the best move to win games. But it’s his choice he’s a free agent. So I wish him luck with his decision and hopefully he makes a good one and doesn’t become like Trout a generational talent on a horrible team.
He’s 23. He’ll have plenty of time to win games. It’s pretty evident that priority #1 is not “who won the most games in 2017”.
He’s still challenging himself against top talent regardless which team he signs with… it’s not like SD doesn’t play against major league teams
I’m honestly surprised Japanese players have such a preference for West Coast. The distance to/from Japan isn’t THAT great, 3-4 hours usually if we’re talking LA vs. NY, and while that may seem like a big difference, it’s not when you’re riding first class… My lone first class trip from Moscow to NY (14 hours) felt quicker than my many coach trips from NY to LA (6.5 hours).
I think it’s more than just flight time. LA, SF and Seattle rank top 5 in terms of Japanese population. Also, he might prefer to play on the West Coast to enjoy it’s amenities.
This is getting to be fun even if the Cubs don’t get him.
Pretty cool that he didn’t keep teams hanging. San Diego might be the best bet, if he wants to be low key. Plus he’d never have to worry about the pressure of winning there.
“Plus he’d never have to worry about the pressure of winning there.”
That’s what folks were saying about the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros five years ago.
But check out who has won the last three World Series.
Not seeing the Padres on that list and don’t expect to anytime soon, with Ohtani or not…those other teams had something that the Padres don’t have, a ton of young controllable talent
They are:)
I guess I need to read your scouting report with your rose colored glasses on
I mean I guess they could get it figured out but they’ll have to really hit on a few draft picks over the next two years…I applaud your optimism, even as a Dodgers fan
Instead he wasted GMs and other teams officials time making them come up with presentations when he knew the whole time he had no interest in east coast teams.
Could you be any more emo? Why don’t you go listen to Dashboard Confessionals in the dark for a wile, ok?
Haha! These guys are deplorable. Cucks!
Mariners or Cubs will be his choice.
Makes no sense he says he wants to go to a small market team and one that’s on the West Coast. But then will interview with the cubs who are a big market team and also closer to east coast then west.
Yeesh just accept the fact that not every player wants to be on the Yankees.
I’m hoping you’re a troll because if you’re honestly this butt hurt about one player, I’d hate to see how you’d function in real life
If anyone is a troll it’s probably you. Because my post was pretty spot on about what Ohtani has said so far.
Also I’m not butt hurt at all. Yeah it would have been cool him as a Yankee but he ain’t going to make or break the 2018 yankees, they will be a good team either way.
In a whiny voice
“I’m not butt hurt at all”
Riiiiighhtt
Than*
But also never underestimate Theo Epstein. Probably the only reason they’re still part of the discussion. I have a feeling the cubs will be part of his “last three” teams. Mariners will probably land him.
But then- transition of time. used to express a sense of time or what comes next or used to be. (His example was ‘But then will interview with the Cubs’)
Rather than- any comparison of two things. (For example: other than, rather than, more than… etc)
He used the right then if you’re referring: “But then will interview…”
I believe he was referring to this part: “also closer to east coast then west”, in which case, he was right in that it’s the wrong word.
But really, this is a baseball forum. Let’s not nitpick grammar unless it’s completely terrible and horrible formatting. One word doesn’t make or break a post, especially when everyone understood what he meant.
Maybe it’s because the Cubs have a proven manager in place, recently won a WS and don’t carry the “Babe Ruth” moniker that he would have to carry as a Yankee…not saying Aaron Boone won’t be a good manager or that the Yankees don’t have the young talent to get back to the WS in the near future but they never were the “slam dunk” everyone seemed to think they were
Cubs and rangers won’t land him
I wouldn’t sleep on the Rangers just yet
I would
They had a Japanese star, they are a large market, it’s hotter than you know what in that stadium, and the al will light him up
Man I really underestimated just how fun it would be to hear all the salty hot takes from fans of rejected teams.
Mostly Yankees fans apparently
That’s funny. “I want to play in a smaller market on the West Coast…” but not the A’s.
Right?!!! A’s are like the prime example haha
Might be that the A’s didn’t submit the required presentation. Maybe the A’s didn’t want to pursue him.
Oakland may as well be San Francisco. And if someone had to choose between the two, you know it’s going to be SF.
Uh,… you did see his questionnaire, right? One of the 7 questions had to do with the ballpark and it’s facilities. You apparently have never been to the Coliseum. Worst ballpark in baseball. Tropicana Field, though horrible, at least isn’t as decrepit as the Coliseum. As far as I know the sewage system has never overflowed into the clubhouse at the Trop, like it did at the Coliseum. There’s obviously much more to Ohtani’s decision that just small market, and west coast.
Yeah, it is terrible. They are getting a new stadium, but not until almost 2023. That’s a long time., and would mean he’d be playing the majority of his contract in the Coliseum. Had that park been under construction and set to be done in 2019-2020, maybe they have a chance at Ohtani.
Weird Cubs are still in it to be honest. I would guess the age and culture of the team played a role— many young players.
Not really, they are a solid franchise and although they don’t have certain things he is looking for they have enough for him to be interested and do his due diligence
I have not seen anything official indicating that the Astros are out. Does anyone have any information regarding the status of Ohtani to the Stros?
I was thinking the same. there are a couple of teams that we haven’t heard about yet
What about angels?
I thought he wanted to play for a small market. Has he seen Chicago?
He is not afraid of a big market. He just did not want to play for the Yankees so Cashman and Yankee trolls hit the blogs making that up as an excuse that they got shunned and denied
I don’t think he ever said he wanted a small market. It was more that he preferred a small market. Big difference. Obviously the criteria he’s using is complex. Chicago may not be a small market, but apparently it checks off on enough boxes of the other things important to him that he’s still interested.
Is he meeting with the Dodgers?
I guess he is scard if both sides of the big apple
Well, at least you spelled Metallica right.
Does anyone think Ohtani will sign with the angels? they’re in a win now mode from now till trouts contract expires. It’s also a highly populated area with Asian Americans from both LA and OC, not saying that Seattle and SF aren’t.
I’m all for it!
Anaheim is ahead of Seattle by percentage of Asian-American population, but both are behind San Francisco. Down the road from Anaheim though is Irvine with a 45% Asian population.
I still think it’ll be an AL team, and likely down to the Mariners and Angels in the end.
I’m Japanese and live in OC. Asian =/= Japanese. Irvine doesn’t have a huge Japanese population and not a lot of Japanese culture. Closest significant Japanese populations/culture to Anaheim would be where a lot of my family/friends live, Torrance and Gardena.
True, but census demographics don’t distinguish between Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, etc. backgrounds. They unfortunately just all get lumped together as Asian.
You’re obviously referencing some poor demographics. You can easily locate information on each ethnic group or country of origin. The majority of Asians in Irvine, for example, are from India, not a group that would have a lot of interest in a Japanese player, simply because he’s “Asian”.
What’s the relevance of that? Suppose the majority of Asians in Orange Co. are Filipinos? They loved Benny Agbayani, but they’re not going to follow a player because he happens to be Japanese any more than German would be interested in someone because they’re European. I remember USA Today getting all excited about Ichiro going to Seattle, not because of the Japanese there, but because Seattle has a large Asian population.
I think “playing with Mike Trout in his prime” is plenty enough of a sell.
Funny looking at how most fans of teams he already shut down are reacting. Mostly butt hurt Yankee fans. Interesting how he goes from being a can’t miss player to being overrated. Too funny.
That said I since the beginning haven’t been exactly blown away by this kid’s numbers in Japan. People are acting like he’s a bona fide ace and will hit like Giancarlo Stanton. I’m always apprehensive about Asian players stats from Japan. They rarely translate over to MLB therefore I treat them liked double A stats. He might be a decent bitter but I’m not sold on his pitching…. at least not as a starter. While he is billed as the next babe Ruth I find that flawed. This dude barely pitches more in a season in Japan than a long reliever does here in the US. Saying he’ll definitely be a top of the rotation arm is a bit much IMO. I think I might be the only dude hoping he DOESN’T sign with my team of choice, the Cubs. Would rather see them go after proven free agent players. Sure this guy won’t cost an arm and a leg so it’s not too much of a commitment, but I smell major disappointment in his future. Maybe I’m wrong – who knows. Only way I find him semi intriguing is if the Cubs planned on using him as a platoon OFer and a reliever. Get about 350-400 ABs out of him and about 60-70 innings of hopefully solid relief….. I could get down with that. I don’t trust him a minute to be a solid 30+ start starter though. Since he won’t cost much I guess I’m indifferent….. I just hate the needless distraction when I wish the Cubs would be focusing on signing proven talent in free agency. Like bringing back Davis. Go out and get both Lynn and Cobb. And then sign 2-3 additional solid relievers. Again, if they think this dude can be a solid reliever and add yet more positional/offensive depth then go for it. If they plan on using him as a starter…. ugh.
@KB
I did try to read your comment. To painful on the eyes. Try the space bar and a thing called a paragraph. I doubt many people bother to read the entire garbled message
Did i miss where the Astros were eliminated?
You didn’t. Stros owner, Jim Crane, indicated on Saturday that the stros would be in on it, sending their “A” team. No sure if the stros are in or out…..and there is no word from the Houston Chronicle yet this morning. Even if Crane said something, Luhnow is so secretive about moves in general that we may just not know until later.
appreciate it.
Giants could end up with Stanton and Ohtani. Lot of logic in that as Stanton would take pressure off Ohtani, and there are establish HOF caliber veterans already in place who can ease him into MLB. Great ballpark and fans along with unprecedented success over the last 8 years. Large, multi cultural, cosmopolitan city with deep ties to Japan and greater Asia with global economic reach through Silicon Valley. And perhaps most important the franchise has a tremendous legacy with Japanese players going back more than 50 years. Check your history!
“…as per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.”
Huh?
that’s who he writes for now.
he writes for the company called The Athletic, not the team the Athletics
Such a stupid name for a company that reports on baseball.
“Yeah lets name it after a team! That won’t confuse anyone!” #fail
Of those teams, him going to the Angels would be the best for baseball.
He and Trout on the same team would be must see. MLB Tonight would be mostly live look ins on Angel’s games. More so.
Seattle has to be a favorite for Ohtani. Just ticks off so many of the things he wants and they have a shot at winning now with Ohtani in the rotation.
The Padres have to be 2nd. Some things I have read in their favor are Nomo and Saito are in their front office. Otsuka is their AAA pitching coach. Nomo’s son is Ohtani’s translator. Seiichiro Nakagaki, Darvish’s and Ohtani’s personal trainer and the strength coach for Ohtani’s NPB team since 2013, is now the Padres Director of Applied Sports Science. Logan White and Preller have both scouted him since he was in high school and White nearly had him signed with the Dodgers then. Ohtani’s agent lives in San Diego. Acey Kohrogi, the head of Asian Rim scouting for the Padres is a friend of the Ohtani family. The Nippon Ham Tigers, Ohtani’s team, practiced in the Padres and Mariners facility the past 2 years. Preller speaks fluent Japanese.
Even with all of those ties with the Padres, I would still say that the Mariners will sign him.
So when did Ohtani tell you about all the things he wants?
Looks more and more like the Angels every day, even though they don’t deserve him, or Trout for that matter. They aren’t making the playoffs even with both.
Dodgers aren’t winning the ws either. But on the flip side I really hope they continue to use their farm system to trade for star players.
The Tigers are out? I didn’t even know they were ever in it.
The Padres? Even the Padres don’t want to meet with the Padres.
Some thoughts.
On his West Coast preference:
Flight time to Japan matters, but I think there are other important matters, time differential.
Much more easier to connect to your mentor or family in Japan, from the West Coast than the East Coast, thats from my experience living in both coasts. Would not want to wake up your mom or mentor for some discussion late in the evening, or talk to your girlfriend or friends commuting in the morning in Japan (you are prohibited to use your phone in public transportation there).
On not wanting to be on the same team with a Japanese star:
There maybe 2 factors. Say, hes on the same team with Tanaka, that would put extra burden on Tanaka to take care of him, something Tanaka will most happily do as a fellow
Japanese, but from a recipients point of view most likely wish to avoid of causing a nuisance to another person. Including the added spotlight and causing pressure to Tanaka.
Another factor is if you are on the same rotation, on the same team, no doubt you will be furiously compared by the Japanese media, family and friends, on an every day basis. That is not necesarry starting out your career.
As I recall, there has not been much instances on Japanese stars being on a same team.
Maeda and Darvish on the Dodgers last year, and Sasaki, Ichiro and Hasegawa with the Mariners way back. The Dodgers situation was an accident, Darvish got traded, then Maeda got bumped from the rotation which was widely reported in the media in Japan. I suppose both of them did not want that.
Sasaki came first to the Mariners, then Ichiro then Hasegawa. All of them were older than Ohtani, and married. Ichiro had a famous broadcaster wife who speaks fluent English to help him out in off the field events. Hasegawa was fluent in English. Ohtani is not. And he is single. For those very reasons, he may wanted to be independent from a fellow Japanese player.
Just speculations.
As for which team he will land, I have no idea. Cubs must have had something special to appeal to him though as it remains as finalist, I wonder what it was. All the other finalist teams have some strong appealing points, me thinks. I hope he signs with the Padres, something refreshing for a change. They almost signed Irabu before, and signed Otsuka! He will look great in brown and yellow (do they still wear that?),similar to his Nippon Ham uniform.
Wonder what Cubs have to offer? Winning; living two feet from Wrigley Field; single life in Wrigleyville, huge endorsements, $200M contract post arbitration, direct flights, young core that is multi-positional, legendary and creative President of Baseball Ops and Manager. Cubs also have a pretty good young catcher who is excellent in every major aspect of game.
You’ll also notice that all finalists have AZ Spring Training site.
If Theo could talk Lester into signing with the Cubs, who at the time were a perennially horrible team, he could probably land Ohtani…..
Very surprised that the Yankees aren’t included.But as a Met fan,I’m glad that he isn’t going there
For me the Angels should be heavy in this discussion ahead of San Diego and Texas. They have the best player in the world in Mike Trout, a solid supporting cast including two 2017 gold glove winners as well as some amazing hitters for him to study. Not to mention a front office that has proven to be adept at correcting the issues of the old regime and a constant face in the dugout with Scosia having been there for so long
I don’t get it won’t the West coast be gone soon because of Kim Jong-Un? Thanks Obama!