Shohei Otani sweepstakes (NYY out, looks like West Coast)

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Bjorn Le

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The kid could have waited 2 years and gotten 9 figures instead of 7 figures. I don't think a few hundred K - million of bonus pool money is the dealbreaker.

DH is probably a more viable option than being an outfielder as there is less risk of injury. Are teams really gonna risk their front line starter playing the outfield every day he's not pitching?

No they’re not, but he reportedly wants spot starts in RF. That’s tough for the Yankees to do. The bigger issue to me is him DHing in the Bronx. While we can probably count on his pitching, how well he hits here is a wildcard. Do the Yankees want to commit to playing him at DH when they’re trying to go for it? Does Otani trust that the Yankees will keep him as the starting DH outside the first few months? If I’m Otani, I want to go to a team that I can trust will allow me to hit even if I don’t start hitting well out of the gate.
 

Filthy Dangles

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No they’re not, but he reportedly wants spot starts in RF. That’s tough for the Yankees to do. The bigger issue to me is him DHing in the Bronx. While we can probably count on his pitching, how well he hits here is a wildcard. Do the Yankees want to commit to playing him at DH when they’re trying to go for it? Does Otani trust that the Yankees will keep him as the starting DH outside the first few months? If I’m Otani, I want to go to a team that I can trust will allow me to hit even if I don’t start hitting well out of the gate.

Source?

I know he wants to hit but i havne't read that. Again, that's far too high of a risk to have your ace in the outfield. The rewards of getting his bat in the lineup like that don't outweigh the risks of injury.

If his bat doesn't play as a DH in the AL, that could be an issue because then you'd have no real way to get his bat in the lineup. At least in the NL, he could hit on the days he pitches and pinch hit on days he's not pitching.

These are things he obviously has to weigh when making his decision.
 

Bjorn Le

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Source?

I know he wants to hit but i havne't read that. Again, that's far too high of a risk to have your ace in the outfield. The rewards of getting his bat in the lineup like that don't outweigh the risks of injury.

If his bat doesn't play as a DH in the AL, that could be an issue because then you'd have no real way to get his bat in the lineup. At least in the NL, he could hit on the days he pitches and pinch hit on days he's not pitching.

These are things he obviously has to weigh when making his decision.

I heard it on MLB network when they were talking about it back in the second week of September. I can’t find an article saying it from then (Sept. 13) but I’m also out and I haven’t looked that hard.

It’s a risk sure, and he DH’s in Japan for similar reasons. What I heard wasn’t that he wants to start in RF everyday, but he wants a chance to occasionally play a position defensively. The DHing every day is probably the deal breaker, not playing outfield.

That’s his issue. If he goes to the NL, he only gets to hit ~35 times a year plus pitch hitting, but he doesn’t have to be worried about being taken out. In the AL, he could hit ~120 times, but a team might have him on a short leash. It’s a hard choice.
 

Filthy Dangles

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the MLBPA needs to f*** off. Otani doesn't care about $$. The players union is still butthurt about his japan team getting compensated an order of magnitude more than he is but he's made it clear he doesn't care.

I, like everyone else, just want his talent in the MLB next season, prefereably in the Bronx. ;)
 
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Cassano

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Matsui will help the Yankees in recruiting Ohtani reportedly. He was his favorite player along with Darvish.

He should just show him his 50000 porn collection and call it a day.
 
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Voight

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Matsui will help the Yankees in recruiting Ohtani reportedly. He was his favorite player along with Darvish.

He should just show him his 50000 porn collection and call it a day.

Lest we forget they also have Tanaka, who is also Japanese.

Schoenfield was saying not only can they offer the most after Texas, but they are one of the few AL teams who have an open DH spot for the days he doesn't pitch. (Ellsbury would be their DH if the season started tomorrow)

Shohei Otani to the Yankees seems like an inevitable conclusion
 

Filthy Dangles

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Lest we forget they also have Tanaka, who is also Japanese.

Schoenfield was saying not only can they offer the most after Texas, but they are one of the few AL teams who have an open DH spot for the days he doesn't pitch. (Ellsbury would be their DH if the season started tomorrow)

Shohei Otani to the Yankees seems like an inevitable conclusion

I believe the Yankees had the worst DH OPS, AVG and other stats last season. Not surprising considering it featured a platoon of Ellsbury/Headley for large parts. So the Yankees definitely need a DH as well.
 

Cassano

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DiPoto said they've prepared their pitch for well over a year. Even claimed that they'd be willing to give Nelson Cruz OF at bats to accommodate Ohtani.
 

robert terwilliger

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forget where i saw it but an interesting opinion that he probably won't go to the highest bidder since he's coming over early instead of waiting and cashing in.

seems like he'd rather be in mlb and isn't just looking for money. i'd love seattle to get him.
 

GIN ANTONIC

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forget where i saw it but an interesting opinion that he probably won't go to the highest bidder since he's coming over early instead of waiting and cashing in.

seems like he'd rather be in mlb and isn't just looking for money. i'd love seattle to get him.

Or Toronto. That would be great. We could shoot Kendrys Morales to the moon if needed in order to make that happen. Plus there's pleeeenty of opportunity for him to roam in the outfield since we like don't actually have one right now.
 

Bjorn Le

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forget where i saw it but an interesting opinion that he probably won't go to the highest bidder since he's coming over early instead of waiting and cashing in.

seems like he'd rather be in mlb and isn't just looking for money. i'd love seattle to get him.

That's why I'm skeptical about the line of thinking that suggests he's going to New York as a forgone conclusion.
 

Cassano

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forget where i saw it but an interesting opinion that he probably won't go to the highest bidder since he's coming over early instead of waiting and cashing in.

seems like he'd rather be in mlb and isn't just looking for money. i'd love seattle to get him.
I would like to see him on a good team. Would suck to see him go to a bad team and have his career overlooked like it has for Votto and King Felix.
 

hockeykicker

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The memo from Nez Balelo, co-head of CAA Baseball, was distributed to all 30 teams by the commissioner's office late Friday along with materials for the Dec. 1 vote on a new posting agreement between Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball. If the deal is approved, the 23-year-old is expected to be put up for bid later that day or the following day.
Balelo's memo asks for a team to evaluate Ohtani's talent as a pitcher and as a hitter; to explain its player development, medical training and player performance philosophies and facilities; to describe its minor league and spring training facilities; to detail resources for Ohtani's cultural assimilation into the team's city; to demonstrate a vision for how Ohtani could integrate into the team's organization; and to tell Ohtani why the team is a desirable place to play.
Each team was asked to provide its answers in both languages as soon as possible. Clubs were told not to include any financial terms of a possible contract.

Per ESPN

People who write in Japanese going to get a pay raise lol
Could end up being like ten pages worth of writing to answer all his required questions
 
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