Sox not in teams watching Otani

[ChiSoxJon]

Actually hope Hahn continues to stay away

 

Not big on this kid

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Actually hope Hahn continues to stay away

 

Not big on this kid

There is no reason to stay away from him. If the Sox sign him it would be literally for chump change.

[knightni]

Seattle needs another Japanese player.

 

They're a real draw for Asian fans.

 

 

[OmarComing25]

Actually hope Hahn continues to stay away

 

Not big on this kid

Even if you aren't big on him the risk is minimal for every team. It's a no-brainer for everybody.

[Bob Sacamano]

Actually hope Hahn continues to stay away

 

Not big on this kid

 

Huh? It's not like he can sign a mega-deal. The most he could sign for is literally for a bonus of about $10 mill. If the Sox somehow were able to sign him, it would be a miracle haha

Edited September 13, 2017 by soxfan2014

[bmags]

300k is too much for a player that may bust, let's spend it on a 16 year old venezuelan kid instead.

[Eminor3rd]

In Dave Cameron's chat today he thinks NL teams have the advantage because AL teams would be too wary of promising him too many at bats at DH in case he flops as a hitter and they're stuck with a black hole in the lineup, whereas NL teams can let him pinch hit on his off days where the bar he needs to clear for hitting will be much lower. But even if he does suck as a hitter will the AL team be obligated to keep trotting him out there at DH? And if that's the case couldn't an AL rebuilding club just take that risk and guarantee him plenty of AB? If he flops at the plate initially it's no big deal to them.

 

I simply cannot fathom a team being okay with him making throws in the field between starts.

[Eminor3rd]

Actually hope Hahn continues to stay away

 

Not big on this kid

 

Based on what? I watched him pitch last night again -- the stuff is monstrous.

 

EDIT: Last night he touched 163kph, which is over 101mph.

Edited September 13, 2017 by Eminor3rd

[southsider2k5]

Actually hope Hahn continues to stay away

 

Not big on this kid

 

If he were actually willing to sign here for $300k there should nothing the White Sox should not do to get him here. That figure is nothing. That is less than minimum wage in MLB.

[southsider2k5]

I simply cannot fathom a team being okay with him making throws in the field between starts.

 

The White Sox are one of the most out of the box teams when it comes to pitchers. I wonder if they might be more open to it than most, especially if it was a dealbreaker for other teams.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Huh? It's not like he can sign a mega-deal. The most he could sign for is literally for a bonus of about $10 mill. If the Sox somehow were able to sign him, it would be a miracle haha

The odds are long but not in the miracle category. The Sox have some advantages especially if they wanted to extend him after his 1st year. (See my post above).

 

Tadahito Iguchi was actually the 1st full time Japanese position player to win a World Series and last I heard he was still playing and if the Sox signed Otani it would actually have to be for less than the Sox signed Iguchi back in 2005.

 

Iguchi was at Sox Fest just a few years ago if I remember correctly and was still playing in Japan at that time. He has probably met Otani. The Sox could ask Iguchi to be their Otani ambassador . The hierarchy of the Sox front office is almost the same as it was when Iguchi signed .

 

 

[Eminor3rd]

The White Sox are one of the most out of the box teams when it comes to pitchers. I wonder if they might be more open to it than most, especially if it was a dealbreaker for other teams.

 

Well the White Sox would just DH him. He's already gone to exclusively DH in the NPB this year, so it's fairly safe to assume he'd be okay with that.

 

I was just disagreeing with Cameron's assessment that an NL team makes the most sense. I'd be absolutely shocked if he actually plays the field between starts.

[GenericUserName]

Actually hope Hahn continues to stay away

 

Not big on this kid

 

Its not 300k though if we have that big agreement in place on an extension after his first year. Then you are basically locked in to signing him for that huge contract because it would look really bad and could have repurcusions if you don't go through with the extension. If he is willing to just sign and then talk extension later, then I agree that there is no risk and we should at least throw our hat in the ring.

[southsider2k5]

Its not 300k though if we have that big agreement in place on an extension after his first year. Then you are basically locked in to signing him for that huge contract because it would look really bad and could have repurcusions if you don't go through with the extension. If he is willing to just sign and then talk extension later, then I agree that there is no risk and we should at least throw our hat in the ring.

 

The thing is you can't discuss an extension during these negotiations, that would be considered tampering by MLB and has already been warned against. I would also be willing to bet that any extension that didn't look like an extension that has already been signed by someone around MLB would get thrown out. You are probably talking something like Tim Anderson's contract, and not a nine figure deal.

[OmarComing25]

Well the White Sox would just DH him. He's already gone to exclusively DH in the NPB this year, so it's fairly safe to assume he'd be okay with that.

 

I was just disagreeing with Cameron's assessment that an NL team makes the most sense. I'd be absolutely shocked if he actually plays the field between starts.

To be fair Cameron wasn't suggesting an NL team would let him play the field, just that an NL team makes the most sense because he can hit when he starts and pinch hit for pitchers on his off days. But that would give him, what, less than 200 PA at the plate? An AL team could offer more opportunities to hit than that easily. He argues that this scenario would cause a problem with roster construction because Otani would probably only DH 2 to 3 times per week and you'd need a roster spot to cover DH the rest of the time, but that seems like a minor issue. I just looked and there were only 6 or 7 DHs this year that were full-time DHs, and it shouldn't be that hard to find opportunities to get Otani into the lineup and get him ~300 PA or so.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

The thing is you can't discuss an extension during these negotiations, that would be considered tampering by MLB and has already been warned against. I would also be willing to bet that any extension that didn't look like an extension that has already been signed by someone around MLB would get thrown out. You are probably talking something like Tim Anderson's contract, and not a nine figure deal.

Well let's say for example he came to the Sox and was an instant star as a pitcher and a hitter far surpassing Anderson;s value after his 1st year. Then an extension could be offered that dwarfs Anderson's deal. I would think the league would be very unlikely to void such a contract extension.

 

If Otani becomes an instant sensation imagine the repercussions on the rebuild, It would give the Sox another star pitcher and hitter. The benefit to the Sox in that case would be astronomical both on the field , in endorsements, and at the box office.

[GenericUserName]

The thing is you can't discuss an extension during these negotiations, that would be considered tampering by MLB and has already been warned against. I would also be willing to bet that any extension that didn't look like an extension that has already been signed by someone around MLB would get thrown out. You are probably talking something like Tim Anderson's contract, and not a nine figure deal.

 

I thought that the consensus was that there basically was going to be some tampering and whatever teams tried to sign him were just going to have to hide it. I guess we really don't know what is going to happen for his signing. Ill say this though, he is probably going to be one of the most talked about names in baseball by next season without ever having played an inning. Thats gotta help get some endorsements that takes the sting out of losing out on the big contract right away.

[Dick Allen]

I don't know how much you would have to scout him if he was clearly worth all you could offer him. That said, he isn't coming to the White Sox, and wouldn't be coming to the White Sox had they not signed Robert.

Edited September 13, 2017 by Dick Allen

[hi8is]

... he isn't coming to the White Sox, and wouldn't be coming to the White Sox had they not signed Robert.

+1

[southsider2k5]

Well let's say for example he came to the Sox and was an instant star as a pitcher and a hitter far surpassing Anderson;s value after his 1st year. Then an extension could be offered that dwarfs Anderson's deal. I would think the league would be very unlikely to void such a contract extension.

 

If Otani becomes an instant sensation imagine the repercussions on the rebuild, It would give the Sox another star pitcher and hitter. The benefit to the Sox in that case would be astronomical both on the field , in endorsements, and at the box office.

 

There are also a decent amount of contracts that have been offered after first year's. You really don't see hundred million contracts happen until after renewal years are done. Probably 4th year at least, if not 5th to get comps for that.

[southsider2k5]

I thought that the consensus was that there basically was going to be some tampering and whatever teams tried to sign him were just going to have to hide it. I guess we really don't know what is going to happen for his signing. Ill say this though, he is probably going to be one of the most talked about names in baseball by next season without ever having played an inning. Thats gotta help get some endorsements that takes the sting out of losing out on the big contract right away.

 

The one thing that MLB can do, and did do in the case of Boston's international signings a few years back, would be to void the contract and make him a completely free agent.

[BlackSox13]

I don't know how much you would have to scout him if he was clearly worth all you could offer him. That said, he isn't coming to the White Sox, and wouldn't be coming to the White Sox had they not signed Robert.

I think the Sox knew they had no chance with Otani so they made sure to get Robert which was the smart move.

[LittleHurt05]

Also lets keep in mind the reputation of "overload" on Japanese pitchers. Kenta Maeda came over and had "the worst medicals anyone has ever seen".

 

I think it's fairly common to throw 200+ pitches multiple times in a week during that big national High school championship in Japan.

 

 

 

 

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

There are also a decent amount of contracts that have been offered after first year's. You really don't see hundred million contracts happen until after renewal years are done. Probably 4th year at least, if not 5th to get comps for that.

However in the scenario I mentioned about Otani being an instant success as a hitter and pitcher there would be literally no one to compare him. In that kind of 1st year while paying him minimum wage MLB salary and the 300K bonus the Sox stand to make millions of dollars in endorsements and at the box office. He would be unlike any kind of 1st year player ever if he can be a successful 2 way player. Therefore it is reasonable to assume a contract extension that was uniquely structured would not be out of line based on his unique situation. They would simply be paying him what he is worth to the franchise.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

I think the Sox knew they had no chance with Otani so they made sure to get Robert which was the smart move.

I'm still not convinced. Most of the money would go to the posting fee to Otani's team. Currently that is $20M and it's now undergoing negotiations to change but not expected to be altered much if at all. The Sox could easily pay that. It's very easy to say the Sox won't get him since the odds are long but to dismiss there's a chance for him entirely is a mistake . The Sox may have to wait a while for Robert, Imagine an instant star like Otani and everything it could mean to the Sox right now ! They need to make every effort to get him however long the odds appear.