Japanese Superstar Shohei Ohtani Is Officially Coming To The MLB In 2018. Will He Be A Yankee? Probably
AN EARLY THANKSGIVING GIFT! Our prized Japanese assassin is officially coming to Major League Baseball. There was a little back and forth of doubt raised over the last few weeks whether the MLBPA was going to allow this from happening. But after a 24 hour postponement to the deadline was granted, a deal was struck. Now it’s time to see where this man chooses to start his career. Hint: It’s probably going to be with the Yankees.
Just a few days ago the Yankees acquired even more spending money for international free agents when they shipped Caleb Smith and Garrett Cooper to the Marlins for pool money (aka Ohtani money). This put their available number at $3.5 million, just behind the Texas Rangers at $3.535 million.
So will Ohtani be a New York Yankee? I mean all signs point to a resounding yes. He’s the perfect addition to this team that’ll both fortify the starting rotation and the lineup. He’s potentially a once-in-a-generation talent and something we haven’t seen in the modern era of baseball.
The most fascinating part of Ohtani is how cheap he is. When you’re thinking about all the available stars set to hit the market either this year or next they’re all incredibly expensive. J.D. Martinez is looking for over $200 million while Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are expected to command over $300 million easily. Ohtani’s contract will essentially be the cheapest a superstar will cost moving forward. He’ll earn a little over $500,000 in his rookie year and continue with arbitration for an additional five seasons. From what I’ve read though, a team can very well offer him an extension with legit money as long as it’s clear that part wasn’t discussed during initial negotiations (that part gets confusing). So basically Ohtani isn’t going to get completely screwed in terms of money as long as he performs. He just won’t cost $200 million like he would if he waited until turning 25 years old to come to the States.
The craziest thing about this guy is that he doesn’t give a fuck about money. All he genuinely wants to do is to go to a team that will help him grow as a player and give him the best chance to win. He’s made plenty of money already in Japan and now he just wants to face the best of the best. That’s why he’s coming here now and not in two years.
At the end of the day he’s a premier pitcher with premier stuff, who regularly clocks in at triple digits on the radar gun, while also having the ability to be an every day DH hitting moonshots. He’s a potential game-changing player and he needs to be in New York. We’ll likely find out his destination in the next couple of weeks.
In Cashman We Trust
P.S. It’s worth monitoring what’s going on with the Atlanta Braves. 13 of their prospects have become virtual free agents after it was discovered the Braves were funneling extra signing bonus money to these players. One of the players that has become available is Kevin Maitan, the number 1 international free agent in 2016, a Venezuelan infielder. He now goes back into the international pool with Ohtani, creating an interesting dynamic to this Winter’s free agency period.
