Shohei Otani is likely coming to the USA

[oldsox]

Maybe it is the oldness speaking, but the White Sox were always a leader for Abreu. Most of the top spending teams didn't need him, and the Sox were the most obvious team, both in the media and in speculation.

Nail on the head. Can't help it.

 

I do remember in the days preceding his signing, that my NWSDA (Normal White Sox Defeatist Attitude) said to me that there was no way Sox could actually get that lucky and sign Abreu. Then it happened. Better than Christmas.

 

Turned out Rockettes were second highest bidder. Abreu might have won a batting title there. Red Sox wanted him, but they were allegedly going to send him to AAA. So we got him, and I hope we extend him.

[iamshack]

Nail on the head. Can't help it.

 

I do remember in the days preceding his signing, that my NWSDA (Normal White Sox Defeatist Attitude) said to me that there was no way Sox could actually get that lucky and sign Abreu. Then it happened. Better than Christmas.

 

Turned out Rockettes were second highest bidder. Abreu might have won a batting title there. Red Sox wanted him, but they were allegedly going to send him to AAA. So we got him, and I hope we extend him.

I think the Rockies may have actually bid more.

[oldsox]

Quin,

Please explain to me how Otani leaving Japan now, instead of in two years, makes "feasible sense"?

Rice wine and women.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Hire Iguchi, sign Otani . Easy Peezy .

[BlackSox13]

Chicago does have a Japanese community as well as a Japanese market place in Arlington Heights. Aside from that, the only other selling point would be that Otani is in the age group of the rebuilding white Sox. So the question is, would that be enough to lure Otani to sign with the Sox?

 

 

[jamesdiego]

Sox have had the magic with the rebuild so far, maybe they could pull another rabbit out of their hat. Most definitely worth a shot. I would make a strong effort on what I think are selling points that might be very attractive to him.

 

First is all the young potentially very good players. Make detailed highlight reels and bios on Abreu, Avi, Moncada, Giolito, Kopech, Jimenez, Robert, Hanson and others. He could really like the fact the young guys are new acquisitions like himself and they could grow into something special together.

 

Play up the DH aspect of the American League. Yes, he could play first base but he would be able to get more at bats as a DH. He will probably need a day off after a pitching start even as a DH. But he may need more time if he needs to go out in the field for defense.

 

I would sell hard the aspect of having Cooper as the pitching coach. Hi longevity and stability with the team, his ability to bring the very best out of pitchers. And his uncanny ability to keep more pitchers healthy than other teams, sell Herm and his magic too.

 

Sell the fact we are the underdog. From reading that story he sounds like he is a different breed. Choosing the local underdog team instead of a more popular national one in high school. Forgoing hundreds of millions to come over to the Majors this year. He might not be so drawn to the most popular teams of the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs. Sell the family feel/ loyalty aspect of the franchise. Maybe tell him the team would hire a close confidant of his to be with the club, along with a translator.

 

Ask Tadahito to be a point man. He seems to have very good feelings of the club and his time here, perfect timing with him coming over and being with the team. Give Shingo a call as well.

 

 

 

Might as well go all out for the kid, there is nothing to lose over a possible once in a generation player. He might very well like what he hears about the White Sox. Very unlikely, but I wouldn't put it past the team after what they pulled off this last year. Sure made me a believer.

[sin city sox fan]

Just give him an Italian beef sandwich and a deep dish pizza. He'll be as good as signed once he tastes Chicago food.

[ron883]

They really need a handshake deal with him to promise a big future contract

[hi8is]

Sox have had the magic with the rebuild so far, maybe they could pull another rabbit out of their hat. Most definitely worth a shot. I would make a strong effort on what I think are selling points that might be very attractive to him.

 

First is all the young potentially very good players. Make detailed highlight reels and bios on Abreu, Avi, Moncada, Giolito, Kopech, Jimenez, Robert, Hanson and others. He could really like the fact the young guys are new acquisitions like himself and they could grow into something special together.

 

Play up the DH aspect of the American League. Yes, he could play first base but he would be able to get more at bats as a DH. He will probably need a day off after a pitching start even as a DH. But he may need more time if he needs to go out in the field for defense.

 

I would sell hard the aspect of having Cooper as the pitching coach. Hi longevity and stability with the team, his ability to bring the very best out of pitchers. And his uncanny ability to keep more pitchers healthy than other teams, sell Herm and his magic too.

 

Sell the fact we are the underdog. From reading that story he sounds like he is a different breed. Choosing the local underdog team instead of a more popular national one in high school. Forgoing hundreds of millions to come over to the Majors this year. He might not be so drawn to the most popular teams of the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs. Sell the family feel/ loyalty aspect of the franchise. Maybe tell him the team would hire a close confidant of his to be with the club, along with a translator.

 

Ask Tadahito to be a point man. He seems to have very good feelings of the club and his time here, perfect timing with him coming over and being with the team. Give Shingo a call as well.

 

 

 

Might as well go all out for the kid, there is nothing to lose over a possible once in a generation player. He might very well like what he hears about the White Sox. Very unlikely, but I wouldn't put it past the team after what they pulled off this last year. Sure made me a believer.

This is the best, most comprehensive overview of the slim potential that has been written... anywhere. You've even swayed me from "no chance in hell" to "99.998% there's no chance in hell"...

 

And I was firmly fixed to that two one hundredths points.

[southsider2k5]

MLB Pipeline‏Verified account @MLBPipeline 5h5 hours ago Last start in ? Shohei Ohtani fires 10-K 2-hitter before myriad @MLB brass, including @Reds. 98 mph on pitch #124! http://atmlb.com/2fR54bQ

 

 

[GenericUserName]

Does MLB have to announce when Ohtani is eligible to be signed and then wait a month to actually sign like what happened with Luis Robert, or can he sign at any time? Basically should we be holding our breath for the next few weeks or will this turn into a circus of media following him around and having a big announcement when he signs.

[southsider2k5]

Does MLB have to announce when Ohtani is eligible to be signed and then wait a month to actually sign like what happened with Luis Robert, or can he sign at any time? Basically should we be holding our breath for the next few weeks or will this turn into a circus of media following him around and having a big announcement when he signs.

 

He has to go through the Japanese posting process first.

[GenericUserName]

He has to go through the Japanese posting process first.

 

Yep, I forgot about that part. I'm assuming that only happens after their season is over

[Eminor3rd]

He has to go through the Japanese posting process first.

 

 

Yep, I forgot about that part. I'm assuming that only happens after their season is over

 

Actually, before he goes through the Japanese posting process, the MLB and NPB have to AGREE to a posting process, as the current one expired with the end of our season. This is an underreported component of this story.

 

One of the reporters on a Japanese baseball podcast I follow said that Yomiuri (the newspaper) published some leaked proposals from the MLB, and they all look substantially worse for the NPB than the previous system, which is right on line with the way the trend has gone. The consensus opinion over there seems to be that these proposals are simply not good enough and the NPB should push back, but the podcaster specifically opined that he wasn't sure the NPB has the backbone to do so. But, based on Manfred's public opinions about non-draft eligible new players, if the NPB DID push back much, the MLB seems unlikely to cave, even if it meant there was no system in place for the foreseeable future.

 

If no agreement is in place, the only way Otani (this is the correct spelling, despite the fact that his jersey says 'Ohtani' -- according to a Japanese intern here at work, Japanese baseball takes the correctness of the name on the jersey much less seriously than American baseball, meaning that the players choose whatever they want to be on there, with many choosing first names or even nicknames. Several players have added an 'h' after a stressed 'O' apparently to encourage foreigners to actually pronounce their names correctly. Yos***omo Tsutsugo(h) is another example of a star who adds an 'h.' The correct way to pronounce 'Otani' is with the emphasis on the first syllable \OH-tuh-knee\ as opposed to the way we all seem to want to say it with the emphasis on the second syllable \oh-TAH-knee\) can come to America this offseason is if the Fighters decide to grant him unconditional free agency with no compensation at all. This, obviously seems extremely unlikely to occur, BUT

 

That same podcaster personally believes that the Fighters WOULD grant him free agency, because they are specifically trying to brand themselves as a place for young superstars to choose to play specifically because they can be trusted to be lenient when said superstars want to jump to the MLB. Furthermore, those leaked proposals all call for posting fees to, essentially, equal about 15% of the contract that the player ultimately signs. So, in Otani's case, where the absolute maximum he could earn is something like $8mm, and likely far less, the Fighters don't stand to gain much anyway -- almost certainly less than a million bucks.

 

It's all very interesting.

[hi8is]

This is the best, most comprehensive overview of the slim potential that has been written... anywhere. You've even swayed me from "no chance in hell" to "99.998% there's no chance in hell"...

 

And I was firmly fixed to that two one hundredths points.

What the hell am I thinking??? There's no chance in hell!!!

[witesoxfan]

Actually, before he goes through the Japanese posting process, the MLB and NPB have to AGREE to a posting process, as the current one expired with the end of our season. This is an underreported component of this story.

 

One of the reporters on a Japanese baseball podcast I follow said that Yomiuri (the newspaper) published some leaked proposals from the MLB, and they all look substantially worse for the NPB than the previous system, which is right on line with the way the trend has gone. The consensus opinion over there seems to be that these proposals are simply not good enough and the NPB should push back, but the podcaster specifically opined that he wasn't sure the NPB has the backbone to do so. But, based on Manfred's public opinions about non-draft eligible new players, if the NPB DID push back much, the MLB seems unlikely to cave, even if it meant there was no system in place for the foreseeable future.

 

If no agreement is in place, the only way Otani (this is the correct spelling, despite the fact that his jersey says 'Ohtani' -- according to a Japanese intern here at work, Japanese baseball takes the correctness of the name on the jersey much less seriously than American baseball, meaning that the players choose whatever they want to be on there, with many choosing first names or even nicknames. Several players have added an 'h' after a stressed 'O' apparently to encourage foreigners to actually pronounce their names correctly. Yos***omo Tsutsugo(h) is another example of a star who adds an 'h.' The correct way to pronounce 'Otani' is with the emphasis on the first syllable \OH-tuh-knee\ as opposed to the way we all seem to want to say it with the emphasis on the second syllable \oh-TAH-knee\) can come to America this offseason is if the Fighters decide to grant him unconditional free agency with no compensation at all. This, obviously seems extremely unlikely to occur, BUT

 

That same podcaster personally believes that the Fighters WOULD grant him free agency, because they are specifically trying to brand themselves as a place for young superstars to choose to play specifically because they can be trusted to be lenient when said superstars want to jump to the MLB. Furthermore, those leaked proposals all call for posting fees to, essentially, equal about 15% of the contract that the player ultimately signs. So, in Otani's case, where the absolute maximum he could earn is something like $8mm, and likely far less, the Fighters don't stand to gain much anyway -- almost certainly less than a million bucks.

 

It's all very interesting.

 

This is a good post.

[greg775]

I haven't read the stories.

Can somebody summarize this for us? Sox have little to no chance of signing this guy because "............."

I am 'assuming' it's cause we just spent all that dough on Robert and aren't allowed to bid much and we can't even compete in the ballpark $$ wise. Is that correct? If this is the case ... wouldn't it have been smarter to go for this guy instead of Robert? Isn't this guy pretty much a can't miss pitching/hitting star?

[hi8is]

I haven't read the stories.

Can somebody summarize this for us? Sox have little to no chance of signing this guy because "............."

I am 'assuming' it's cause we just spent all that dough on Robert and aren't allowed to bid much and we can't even compete in the ballpark $$ wise. Is that correct? If this is the case ... wouldn't it have been smarter to go for this guy instead of Robert? Isn't this guy pretty much a can't miss pitching/hitting star?

 

 

 

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I haven't read the stories.

Can somebody summarize this for us? Sox have little to no chance of signing this guy because "............."

I am 'assuming' it's cause we just spent all that dough on Robert and aren't allowed to bid much and we can't even compete in the ballpark $$ wise. Is that correct? If this is the case ... wouldn't it have been smarter to go for this guy instead of Robert? Isn't this guy pretty much a can't miss pitching/hitting star?

 

Going for Robert made more sense with teams limited to spend in that period.

[Dam8610]

I haven't read the stories.

Can somebody summarize this for us? Sox have little to no chance of signing this guy because "............."

I am 'assuming' it's cause we just spent all that dough on Robert and aren't allowed to bid much and we can't even compete in the ballpark $$ wise. Is that correct? If this is the case ... wouldn't it have been smarter to go for this guy instead of Robert? Isn't this guy pretty much a can't miss pitching/hitting star?

 

Otani doesn't appear to be in this for the money. If he was, he'd play in Japan for 2 more years and not be restricted by the international amateur free agent rules. Even if someone maxed out their pool and hadn't spent any money on international free agents to that point, Otani is still likely giving up close to $200 million to get here 2 years earlier. I hope the White Sox get in on him, figure out what it is that he's looking for, and offer it to him. He fits the rebuild timeline very well, and it would be interesting to see if he can succeed as a two-way player, and what the White Sox might do with that.

[greg775]

Otani doesn't appear to be in this for the money. If he was, he'd play in Japan for 2 more years and not be restricted by the international amateur free agent rules. Even if someone maxed out their pool and hadn't spent any money on international free agents to that point, Otani is still likely giving up close to $200 million to get here 2 years earlier. I hope the White Sox get in on him, figure out what it is that he's looking for, and offer it to him. He fits the rebuild timeline very well, and it would be interesting to see if he can succeed as a two-way player, and what the White Sox might do with that.

But how much can the Sox offer him compared to others? I mean he will want to leave only so much $$ on the table to sign with the Sox. Getting this guy would be awesome.

[hi8is]

But how much can the Sox offer him compared to others? I mean he will want to leave only so much $$ on the table to sign with the Sox. Getting this guy would be awesome.

300k vs. 2 - 8 mm

[greg775]

300k vs. 2 - 8 mm

Thanks. Then we have no chance at all.

[Dam8610]

Thanks. Then we have no chance at all.

 

He's giving up nearly $200 million to get here 2 years earlier. Comparatively, the difference between $300K and $8 million is nothing.

[BlackSox13]

He's giving up nearly $200 million to get here 2 years earlier. Comparatively, the difference between $300K and $8 million is nothing.

Agreed. In the LA Times article ss2K5 posted , it's looks pretty clear to me this kid is not driven by money. He just loves playing baseball. That article actually changed my perspective on the Sox chances from none whatsoever to anything is possible. Now that money isn't the main factor were left to speculate what exactly he's looking for in his new MLB ball club. Things like location in relation to Japan ( west coast preference? ), which teams will commit to him playing two ways ( would think all since the investment will be cheap), Japanese culture in the new city he plays for, looking for media exposure or a quieter city with less exposure ( big/small market team?), desire to sign with a contender or be apart of a young upcoming rebuilding team (Sox/Braves/Phillies).

 

At this point, the one thing we know for sure is his desire to pitch and hit for his future MLB team.