Expect the Cubs to be a Huge Player in Ohtani Dealings
TOKYO, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 19: Starting pitcher Shohei Otani #16 of Japan throws in the top of fifth inning during the WBSC Premier 12 semi final match between South Korea and Japan at the Tokyo Dome on November 19, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Masterpress/Getty Images)
Theo Epstein has yet to meet a Japanese pitcher he doesn’t like, and it will be no different with Shohei Ohtani. We heard earlier in the week that Shohei had hired US representation, Nez Balelo of CAA Sports. The MLB and Nippon had reached an agreement on Ohtani coming to the states. And today, Ohtani’s former team, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, are allowing him to come to the states. Now it is just up to Theo and Jed to get this thing done.
If you are not familiar with Ohtani, he is essentially Babe Ruth. In his final start for the Fighters, he pitched a complete game in which his 110’th pitch clocked at 99 MPH. But he is also an incredibly dangerous hitter, blasting 22 HRs in 104-games in 2016, which included this impressive shot.
Signing a guy like Ohtani isn’t exactly easy, especially because of how MLB and Japan have worked out their process.
MLB International Bonus Pool
To begin, the player’s previous team has to allow him to be posted and available to come to the MLB. When they do so they will set a posting fee, which the Fighters have, and in this case is $20 million. Any team interested will “bid” up to $20 million for the rights to negotiate with Ohtani. That team will then be able to negotiate with the player, sort of. The team that wins the chance to negotiate with Ohtani will really negotiate out of their international bonus pool of money, for a full list of each team’s pools check out this post on Baseball America. Essentially though, a team will spend about the same price as they do for a typical draft pick.
Now the Cubs have a disadvantage when it comes to the bonus money that they can give Ohtani. Since they will be under the penalty, they cannot sign any international bonus pool player for more than $300,000. But if Shohei was concerned about the money, he would have waited till his 25th birthday and signed with any team for the maximum amount of money he could command. He knowingly didn’t and decided to come to the US now, instead of waiting two years.
The way it works out, the Texas Rangers ($3.535 million), New York Yankees ($3.25 million) and Minnesota Twins ($3.245 million) have the most money to offer Ohtani (according to the Associated Press). The Cubs are in a $3 million hole when we look at it from this perspective, but could possibly offer “other” incentives to play in Chicago.
Probability?
The first would be hitting on days when he pitches. But with a crowded outfield, as it is, the Cubs probably couldn’t commit much more outside of those days. Any American League team would be able to place him in the outfield or in as a DH. But let’s be honest, this would be under-the-table type of incentives.
Would you like to see Shohei Ohtani in a Cubs uniform next season? If he translates to the American game, and let’s face it… 100 MPH fastballs find a way to translate… it would be huge to have a guy like him under team control for six years.
2 thoughts on “Expect the Cubs to be a Huge Player in Ohtani Dealings”
Comments are closed.