Shohei Otani signs with Angels

[Abomination]

Every team is going to put up the posting bid and then he can choose who he gets to negotiate with exclusively we have little say in it unless there is tampering involved lol. It always seems that guys that come over go to a west coast city.

 

Isn't he able to negotiate with anyone who puts up the max bid? I don't think he has to pick one exclusively, does he?

[jays_fever]

Isn't he able to negotiate with anyone who puts up the max bid? I don't think he has to pick one exclusively, does he?

 

Because of his age, he qualifies as a minor league international free agent and teams can only offer whats left of their pool to him. They arent negotiating after winning the bid

[Abomination]

They arent negotiating after winning the bid

 

Sure they are. He's gonna have a handshake agreement with someone for a big, early career payday after a year or two.

[Boxcar]

I'm glad you could find humour in it. I was prepared to take my virtuous scolding from Jim and call it a day.

 

Yeah, if Trudeau gets Otani here, I'll vote for him next election. I'm in a swing riding so my vote actually matters.

[Bobthe4th]

Every team is going to put up the posting bid and then he can choose who he gets to negotiate with exclusively we have little say in it unless there is tampering involved lol. It always seems that guys that come over go to a west coast city.

 

Of the 2 Japanese players to be posted under the current system (where they can pick where they want to go) Tanaka picked the East Coast with the Yankees and Maeda picked the West Coast with the Dodgers. Plenty of other Japanese players have joined East Coast or central teams in the past when they had the choice.

[L54]

I'd rather sign Alcides Escobar to be our DH than vote for Trudeau.

[Boxcar]

I'd rather sign Alcides Escobar to be our DH than vote for Trudeau.

 

Just because you SAY something doesn't make it true

[flafson]

Just because you SAY something doesn't make it true

 

That may be true but I share his sentiment.

[G-Snarls]

I'd rather sign Alcides Escobar to be our DH than vote for Trudeau.

 

[baseballsss]

Sure they are. He's gonna have a handshake agreement with someone for a big, early career payday after a year or two.

 

Manfred said he will have a close eye on any negotations that go on. Don't ask me how he plans on stopping a deal where he is extended later but Manfred seemed pretty confident that he could.

[Spanky99]

Fluff piece really, but what the hell... one can hope!

 

Pitching Otani: How Blue Jays could lure Japanese star to Toronto

 

David Singh

@_DavidSingh

November 10, 2017, 9:55 AM

 

Pat Gillick had a leg up on his peers one of the first times a generational baseball talent moved from Japan to North America.

 

He was general manager of the Seattle Mariners in late 2000 when the club inked Ichiro Suzuki to a three-year contract. But the signing wasn’t just a result of the Mariners winning the negotiation bid for the outfielder’s services.

 

“The U.S. situations are about dollars and cents. The Asian situations, from my experience, are about relationships,” said Gillick, now a senior adviser to the president and GM for the Philadelphia Phillies. “We had a tremendous relationship with Ichiro and so consequently, we knew that if we got the rights to him, we were going to be able to sign him.”

 

Jim Colborn, the Mariners’ director of Pacific Rim scouting at the time, had developed a close relationship with Suzuki. Colborn spent time in the early 1990s as a pitching coach on Suzuki’s Japanese Pacific League team, the Orix Blue Wave, and was instrumental in the star’s decision to head to Seattle.

 

Seventeen years later, a player with perhaps as much superstar potential could be coming to MLB. Shohei Otani is known as the Japanese Babe Ruth because of his elite abilities as both a hitter and pitcher. Unlike Ichiro, though, Otani will be available to all 30 teams because of revisions to the league’s international signing rules, a system still being negotiated by MLB and the NPB.

 

“You move to another generation, things change,” said Gillick, who was GM of the Toronto Blue Jays from 1978 to 1994. “But I know that relationships still go a long way, so whoever is building a relationship with this player probably is going to have the best opportunity if he decides to come over.”

 

Otani is largely a mystery and it’s nearly impossible to gauge which organizations have fostered a strong bond with him, if any. In that case, the key to acquiring the 23-year-old might boil down to a superior pitch and there’s little doubt some front offices are hunkered down right now, refining their recruitment strategies.

 

Assuming the Blue Jays are among the teams with some interest, here’s a look at some selling points they could include in a potential pitch to Otani…

 

We’ll let you be like Babe Ruth

 

Otani is said to covet the opportunity to hit and pitch in the majors, and the Blue Jays — like all American League teams — have the advantage in allowing him to do that.

 

It’s unlikely the Blue Jays would use Otani to fill an outfield opening but one possible scenario could have him pitch out of the team’s starting rotation and see time as a designated hitter on some non-throwing days.

 

The Blue Jays, of course, have Kendrys Morales currently occupying the DH spot, so barring a trade, the team would need to be creative in its lineup construction to accommodate the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters star.

 

Otani batted .286/.358/.500 with 48 home runs, 70 doubles and 166 RBI in 403 games across five seasons in Japan. As a pitcher, he owns a 2.52 ERA and 10.3 K/9 rate over 85 games, 82 of which were starts, and 543 innings.

 

You will feel at home here

 

This is among the easier selling points for the Blue Jays. Toronto is a diverse, international city not much different from other major markets in the U.S., such as Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

 

Toronto’s Japanese population is listed at approximately 30,000, according to Rui Umezawa, a chief adviser to the city’s consul general of Japan. He says T.O.’s multiculturalism is the most appealing factor to foreigners and the city provides a dose of home for Japanese residents.

 

“They can get a lot of choices as far as Japanese food is concerned, whether it’s buying Japanese groceries, or going out for Japanese food,” Umezawa said. “Japanese people from places like Tokyo would be very used to having restaurant-type of food and various cultural things available from around the world and Toronto offers that as well, so that would be very appealing.

 

“From the perspective of once they get here, what do they find? I think it’s how safe it is here,” Umezawa added. “Relatively low crime rate, you can go out at night without worrying too much. That is a big plus that Japanese people find living in Toronto.”

 

Umezawa highlights a burgeoning stretch on Dundas street that’s becoming known as Toronto’s Little Japan. It features several Japanese businesses, including Izakayas (Japanese gastropubs), ramen restaurants, Japanese-style coffee shops and Uncle Tetsu’s Japanese Cheesecake.

 

We can offer you future success

 

The Blue Jays are presumably not a championship favourite in 2018 the way the Astros, Cubs, Dodgers and Yankees figure to be. However, Toronto boasts a top-tier farm system and could entice Otani on the chance to get in near the ground floor as the organization repositions itself into a stable contender.

 

Top prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette will be mentioned in the pitch because the Blue Jays hope they’ll be the foundation of a championship core going forward. It’s worth noting that Otani’s not much older than the duo.

 

You also don’t have to be a contender to lure free agents. In 2014, the Chicago Cubs successfully courted ace Jon Lester following a season in which they finished last in their division.

 

The Cubs sent the free-agent left-hander a fictional DVD depicting a win over the Yankees in Game 7 of a World Series. They used some imagery from a 2012 Playstation advertisement and also featured on-field celebrations and media coverage in the video.

 

“We felt like not everyone will read a letter or flip through a brochure. But if you get a DVD, it’s going to be watched because of the curiosity factor,” Cubs general manager Theo Epstein recalled last year.

 

You can be the top Asian athlete in Canadian history

 

If Otani signs here and succeeds, he could soon attain iconic status. He would easily become the most prominent Japanese athlete this country has ever seen and it’s not a stretch to say Otani might also be considered Canada’s most prominent athlete of Asian descent.

 

Patrick Chan and Paul Kariya come to mind as other choices, but with Otani playing for a major Canadian team, he may take the crown. This is probably not a deciding factor for Otani, as he doesn’t appear to have preexisting ties to Canada, but achieving a unique status that’s not exactly afforded in the U.S. might prove compelling.

 

“The Japanese community would be very excited to have a Japanese player playing for the Blue Jays,” said Umezawa. “He would feel very welcome. It would be a big source of pride.”

 

Don’t underestimate the sponsorship opportunities that come with representation, as well. Suzuki was an advertising darling when he signed with Seattle and Otani could be the same in Canada, a nation that prides itself on diversity.

[Abomination]

The part about the Cubs creating the fictional DVD is really interesting. Major props for creativity.

[Boxcar]

Manfred said he will have a close eye on any negotations that go on. Don't ask me how he plans on stopping a deal where he is extended later but Manfred seemed pretty confident that he could.

 

Yes, Manfred is going to do everything in his power to ensure that Otani stays in Japan. Best commish ever.

[Spanky99]

Yes, Manfred is going to do everything in his power to ensure that Otani stays in Japan. Best commish ever.

 

Meh, he can't police what goes on behind closed doors, he's an idiot.

[Boxcar]

Meh, he can't police what goes on behind closed doors, he's an idiot.

 

I never thought the new commissioner would make me miss Bud Selig and yet here we are. Hopefully Manfred doesn't completely destroy the game before he's done.

[Spanky99]

I never thought the new commissioner would make me miss Bud Selig and yet here we are. Hopefully Manfred doesn't completely destroy the game before he's done.

 

When he initially started, I liked a few of his ideas, kind of liked the out of the box thinking, but those feelings have changed drastically, he's a flipping toe-rag!

[baseballsss]

When he initially started, I liked a few of his ideas, kind of liked the out of the box thinking, but those feelings have changed drastically, he's a flipping toe-rag!

 

This is exactly how I felt/feel to. The change of pace tirade he's on is ridiculous to.

[glory]

Baseball just had some of its best ratings and fan interest in the while the last two years with games lasting around 4 hours. The pace has never been the issue. The game is what it is. You have to market the stars better. If Mike Trout walked into a crowded building, how many people would recognize him? Compare that with LeBron James or Tom Brady. That's the issue with the game, but Manfred doesn't have a damn clue.

 

As far as Otani, do anything within your power to make it happen, but it's a huge long shot. Just as long as he doesn't become a Yankee. That would be depressing.

[baseballsss]

Baseball just had some of its best ratings and fan interest in the while the last two years with games lasting around 4 hours. The pace has never been the issue. The game is what it is. You have to market the stars better. If Mike Trout walked into a crowded building, how many people would recognize him? Compare that with LeBron James or Tom Brady. That's the issue with the game, but Manfred doesn't have a damn clue.

 

As far as Otani, do anything within your power to make it happen, but it's a huge long shot. Just as long as he doesn't become a Yankee. That would be depressing.

 

In the end really doubt you can do to much. If this was about money Otani would wait two years and make a killing. Something tells me wherever Darvish goes Otani may follow.

[Daniel Labude]

I really think we have a good shot at signing Otani. Might not happen, but we have a good chance.

[Pendleton]

I really think we have a good shot at signing Otani. Might not happen, but we have a good chance.

 

I do agree but after Darvish I'm not allowing myself to have any optimism here. I believe we have a shot, and hope we get him, but going to assume he winds up elsewhere and hopefully be pleasantly surprised.

[TheHurl]

Baseball just had some of its best ratings and fan interest in the while the last two years with games lasting around 4 hours. The pace has never been the issue. The game is what it is. You have to market the stars better. If Mike Trout walked into a crowded building, how many people would recognize him? Compare that with LeBron James or Tom Brady. That's the issue with the game, but Manfred doesn't have a damn clue.

 

As far as Otani, do anything within your power to make it happen, but it's a huge long shot. Just as long as he doesn't become a Yankee. That would be depressing.

 

The last two years have been good for baseball...you also have to understand that when Manfred took over ratings were down to half of post strike ratings (a third of pre-strike) and everything was trending down. There is a nice upward swing right now and they have to continue it with some solid Youth outreach.

 

I've never understood why baseball doesn't promote personalities better...then again whenever players show much personality there is this traditionalist backlash. Maybe this years Astros will change that.

[leaffie]

Dont know how relevant this is, but there was a lengthy discussion on sirius radio about which team would sign Otani.

 

They said that the Jays had numerous scouts at every game, and the appearance was that they were serious. Said that no one had more eyes on him than the Jays. They also thought that the Jays had someone, and sorry didnt get his name, that had a long relationship with Otani. Also said that from all they had heard , money was not that important to him. Otani was more interested in being allowed to pitch and hit. And he definitely was going to choose a team that he will be comfortable with, not necessarily one of the big names, such as yankees, dodgers etc.

 

Fwiw.

[Abomination]

I think I read somewhere that Otani's favorite player is Darvish. If true, maybe we can get him if we also sign Darvish

[THANOS]

Dont know how relevant this is, but there was a lengthy discussion on sirius radio about which team would sign Otani.

 

They said that the Jays had numerous scouts at every game, and the appearance was that they were serious. Said that no one had more eyes on him than the Jays. They also thought that the Jays had someone, and sorry didnt get his name, that had a long relationship with Otani. Also said that from all they had heard , money was not that important to him. Otani was more interested in being allowed to pitch and hit. And he definitely was going to choose a team that he will be comfortable with, not necessarily one of the big names, such as yankees, dodgers etc.

 

Fwiw.

 

That's interesting. From interviews I've read/heard, I could buy that relationship being with Arden Zwelling from Sportsnet. He's flew over there several times and hung out with Otani, from what I understand. If he gets us Otani, I think he could articles countless articles about the importance of RBIs and he would get a forever pass from me.

[THANOS]

I think I read somewhere that Otani's favorite player is Darvish. If true, maybe we can get him if we also sign Darvish

 

Imagine that. That would be some rotation lol.

 

Darvish, Stroman, Otani, Sanchez and, eventually, Pearson.

[glory]

Dont know how relevant this is, but there was a lengthy discussion on sirius radio about which team would sign Otani.

 

They said that the Jays had numerous scouts at every game, and the appearance was that they were serious. Said that no one had more eyes on him than the Jays. They also thought that the Jays had someone, and sorry didnt get his name, that had a long relationship with Otani. Also said that from all they had heard , money was not that important to him. Otani was more interested in being allowed to pitch and hit. And he definitely was going to choose a team that he will be comfortable with, not necessarily one of the big names, such as yankees, dodgers etc.

 

Fwiw.

 

Money clearly isn't an issue for him since he could have waited a bit to come over and gotten paid, but wants to come now. I don't know what the Jays could offer from a situation standpoint that every other team can't, so it will really come down to his preference. Maybe selling Otani on the high performance department and things like that will help. Who knows. I guess there is a 1/30 chance, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

[Krylian]

I really think we have a good shot at signing Otani. Might not happen, but we have a good chance.

 

I'd be shocked beyond belief if he signed here. I really don't see it happening. But I like your optimism.

[P2F]

I'd be shocked beyond belief if he signed here. I really don't see it happening. But I like your optimism.

 

Well, be sure you're monitoring this Twitter account for the latest breaking and most accurate news regarding the Otani posting:

 

[Boxcar]

Well, we have a FO that would likely buy in to letting Otani pitch and hit, plus he can't really be worse than Morales anyway so seems like a decent fit here.