If Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani signs with an MLB team, perhaps in the new year, he’ll be limited to a minor league deal. The most Ohtani could receive is $3.535MM from the Rangers, according to Ronald Blum of the Associated Press. The Yankees and Twins are able to offer similar amounts. The Pirates, Marlins, and Mariners can offer $1.5MM or more. Everyone else is capped below $1MM, all the way down to the Indians and Rockies at $10K each.
The assumption is that these differences will not matter much to Ohtani, who might be leaving $200MM on the table by attempting to come to MLB now instead of in two years. He’s already banked millions of dollars from his NPB career, and he would earn the MLB minimum of $545K as a rookie.
It is also true that if Ohtani wants to lock down life-changing money, he would be able to do so with little or no MLB experience. Ohtani’s team can sign him to an extension at any time, as long as the extension wasn’t discussed as an inducement to sign him in the first place. Three players have signed extensions with fewer than 30 days of big league service time:
- The Rays signed Evan Longoria in April 2008 to a six-year, $17.5MM deal that included three club options, two of which covered potential free agent years. Longoria had six days of MLB service.
- The Rays signed Matt Moore in December 2011 to a five-year, $14MM deal that included three club options, two of which covered potential free agent years. Moore had 17 days of big league service.
- The Astros signed Jonathan Singleton in June 2014 to a five-year, $10MM deal that included three club options, one of which covered a potential free agent year. Singleton’s extension coincided with his big league promotion, meaning he signed with no big league service.
Ohtani’s NPB experience could stand in for the extensive minor league experience that justified these contract extensions. I think a team could offer $20-25MM to Ohtani in April without sounding alarm bells at MLB’s offices. Ohtani’s team would already control him for six years, or even close to seven years if they’re willing to keep him in the minors for a few weeks as the Cubs did with Kris Bryant. So the incentive for a team to offer an extension would be gaining control over some of Ohtani’s potential free agent years. One can imagine that the player’s agent would advise against this, but it is a way Ohtani could guarantee himself good money right out of the gate. It is possible, too, that the agent could attempt to play with the structure established by Longoria, Moore, and Singleton. For example, Singleton’s contract covered only one potential free agent year, with a club option for $13MM. What if Ohtani made the same concession, but with an option price of $20MM or more?
Other players, such as Salvador Perez, Chris Archer, and Tim Anderson, signed extensions with service time ranging from 50 to 156 days. Those deals topped out at Anderson’s $25MM, signed last March. If Ohtani waits until he has one year of Major League service time, the ceiling on a reasonable extension increases quite a bit. Four such players — Anthony Rizzo, Ryan Braun, Christian Yelich, and Andrelton Simmons — signed for $40MM or more guaranteed. Simmons is tops in the one-plus service class, with a seven-year, $58MM deal. After one decent year in MLB, Ohtani should be able to sign an extension worth $60MM or more.
As for that monster deal that would have been a lock if Ohtani waited until he was a true free agent? That probably becomes an option if he logs two successful years in the Majors. Mike Trout signed for $144.5MM over six years, while Buster Posey inked a deal worth $159MM over eight years. It is entirely conceivable that Ohtani could come to the Majors now and sign a $200MM extension in March of 2020. Granted, he would need to play like an MLB superstar over the 2018-19 seasons to make that possible. But to reach those heights in a true MLB free agent bidding war in the 2019-20 offseason, he would have needed to continue at a very high level in NPB anyway. Viewed in that light, Ohtani’s decision to jump to MLB this winter at perhaps his peak ability doesn’t seem so crazy.
Weird question, perhaps.
What prevents someone signing Otani to one of those early contracts, say 6/30M or something, then giving him like 3 years @ 40M each in player options, deferred over a period of time. Basically guaranteeing him 150M over 9 years, but the payments spread out over a period of time for the team’s benefit, plus he can always reject the team options later.
Anything that breaks wildly from those early contracts is probably going to get voided by MLB.
On what grounds? Unless they find evidence that Otani and/or his MLB team broke the rules, there’s nothing MLB can do about it.
On the grounds of the CBA. Any precedent-shattering extension offer to Ohtani with little big league experience is, by its nature, an assumed attempt to circumvent the CBA. I’m just guessing here, but I don’t think a contract way beyond precedent would be allowed to stand.
It has to go down in the area that, whoever signs him will work out an extension
It’s almost a guarantee
So words don’t need to be said
I disagree, on the basis that he presents a unique set of circumstances. 1. He potentially has the capability of being an all star caliber player at both pitching and hitting. Arbritation would be fascinating, as he could argue as two different players combined. His awards would likely be record setting, without setting precedents. Similarly, any extensions he would be given could easily be argued as double, because of his dual ability. 2. He carries the (small) threat of returning to Japan, meaning you need to add a small (5-10%?) premium. 3. The numbers are always going up for salaries
It’s rare, but not uncommon for high caliber players to get small bumps on their pre-arb salaries, so I could imagine the following extension at the end of a successful rookie season. 2.5 mil in years 1 & 2, then 12.5, 17.5, and 25 (his three arbitration years) and then three FA years at 30+ mil with some sort of option structure, and you’re looking at 5/60, with options making it 8/150. I think there’s enough precedent to justify a deal like that to MLB
It’s the same grounds as what would happen if a team signed a Dominican teenage international amateur free agent for a $1 million bonus (for international pool purposes) and then gave him $2 million on some basis a few weeks later, or did something similar with a drafted player to save slot money.
What you’re arguing for at the end of his rookie year isn’t that different than what Tim is saying is easily justified based on the Andrelton Simmons precedent.
I don’t see MLB caring all that much about the terms for team option years, which after all are only exercised if the team later thinks they’re worth it. MLB will be focused on what a team offers Ohtani in guaranteed money for an extension.
I think he’ll sign with the Yanks or Mariners. Both seem like good fits
He signing with the Red Sox. They already have a relationship with him and they’ve got employees on staff from his area of the world. Round Peg round hole.
… Almost certain every MLB team has employees on staff in Japan scouting and developing relationships. Rangers scouted him out of HS and have built a relationship with him too. Point is no one has a clue what he’s looking for as a deciding factor and multiple teams can make the “big market” or “relations” argument for him so don’t act like you know where he’s signing
I can hear that burn big time…lofl
You must not have understood what I said….
He’s
Signing
With
The
Red
Sox.
You’ll see.
The Mariners are partially owned by Nintendo a Japanese company so he is signing with them. They were a majority owner until last year. It only makes sense. Same logic same guess.
Apples and oranges.
People the man trusts within the organization. ….. bingo. Red Sox.
“Now batting for the NY Yankees, number 93, Shohei Otani”.
“Now batting for the New York Yankees, number 93, Shohei Otani. Shohei Otani.”
At his signing news conference, Otani will give thanks to Mr. Steinbrenner and Cashman for making him a Yankee. He will also suggest that his number 93 allows him to pay homage to Babe Ruth in the “modern number system started by Aaron Judge”.
But to realize his dream, he, like Babe Ruth will hit AND PITCH for the Boston Red Sox.
Great point you make…. thanks for helping out.
Then of course the Red Sox will realize financial trouble and sell him to the Yankees for cash LOL
Or knowing how history repeats itself, Shohei will cut out the middleman and go, rightly so, straight to the Yankees. LMAO
Why can’t a rookie earn more than the minimum? We see pre-arb guys get raises above the minimum (not saying rookie year, but pre-arb). Does a rookie HAVE TO be paid the minimum?
Different circumstances, but Rusney Castillo was given 7/72 right off that bat. So I would say no, rookies do not have to make the minimum.
That was an MLB deal, though.
I think you could assign him a salary (a bit) above the minimum, but it would be a question of why. You can’t promise it to get him to sign. So then you would have a rookie on a minor league deal and you’d be breaking many years of precedent to pay him extra…I guess in the name of goodwill?
I figure that rookies are paid the minimum if there is no separate contract–and there are many rookies who had separate contracts who got paid well above the minimum, I think, among international free agents–if they were qualified as such under the rules, as I understand it.
The problem is that, as I understand it, no MLB team can offer anything beyond what they are allowed as an overt inducement to sign Ohtani under current rules. Nothing can be in writing, or even an (too obvious) implicit promise in return for his signing. Whatever is offered can only be offered after he is already under contract as an add on since, technically, Ohtani is not a free agent.
I think this is where lawyers can have a field day: if there is evidence that there had been promises made before the signing, the deal will probably be scrutinized and possibly even voided. Once Ohtani is under contract, teams would be in no hurry or under any obligation to lock him up any time soon without knowing what he can actually do in the MLB. If a team does hurry to lock him up to an extension, it might smack of improprieties….although team lawyers could find ways to justify the (contractually unnecessary) extension.
“since, technically, Ohtani is not a free agent”
No, he is a free agent. Until he’s 25 with at least 6 seasons in a foreign professional baseball league , however, he’s under the same hard cap bonus rules as international amateur free agents such as teenagers from Latin America.
The rest of what you’re saying is generally true. MLB would crackdown on anything too obvious just like they’ll crack down if a team pays money to a Latin American teenager as something other than a disclosed bonus.
baseballamerica.com/international/new-mlb-internat…
If this guy is legitimately the next phenom, then come now. Had Ichiro came over earlier, his name could have been etched in the record books ahead of Pete Rose.
Could Ohtani put a clause in his contract for the team to non-tender him after 2 years, or something of that sort? Kinda like what Yoenis Cespedes did when he signed for 4 years with the A’s out of Cuba
Different sets of rules for Cespedes vs Otani. Undermining the IFA rules is the issue here, which is what that would do
No. Cespedes signed a Major League contract and was considered a professional under the rules of the CBA.
Any clause allowing Ohtani to get out of his contract early or any extension that sets some form of wild precedent for his service class is going to be deemed a violation and come with significant repercussions and the likely voiding of the contract.
One has to think that this is going to lead to a serious reform of the rules governing relationship between MLB and foreign professional leagues. To classify Ohtani as an “amateur” is a bit absurd. It’s more like NH Fighters trading a pre-arbitration major leaguer for a ton of money (posting fee).
My understanding is that NPB didn’t want to set up rules for “dealing” younger players to MLB since they probably didn’t want their up-and-coming players being poached by MLB teams before they spent enough time in their league. It’ll involve a lot of headachy bargains involving many parties….
@ akaba44…you and others may find it interesting…ATTACHMENT 46
International Amateur Talent System Page 287 2017–2021 CBA
mlbplayers.com/pdf9/5450407.pdf
Are you serious??? The mariners??? Otani wants to win now.. he’ll be yankee sooner than later
If he wants to “win now” he’ll go to the Astros.
Given how hard it is to win two WS in a row, I’d say the Astros have no better odds to win it all in 2018 than the Dodgers, Yankees, or Indians, all of whom are expected to contend. Throw in the Red Sox, and other teams on the cusp who may make big moves this winter.
Your right! They don’t have better odds , but the same odds as any other team to win the WS next year. There’s a difference between possibility
and probability .
The Cubs have been to 3 LCS’s in a row, Have a solid young core of hitters and are looking for at least 1, if not 2 SPs. I’d say they have a better “win now” pedigree for Ohtani than anyone.
This might be a stupid question but do we even know if he wants to win now?
Not a stupid question…he has never been quoted as saying that.
No, we don’t. I believe I read a remark that he wanted to be a key player in his team winning. When a player is 34 he wants to go to a winner. When someone is 23 he might not want to be “met too” on a winner. Maybe I got the remark wrong but I’d guess he’d be more interested in a team that impresses him that they’re trying to build a winner.
I also remember something about him not wanting to be in the spotlight and center of attention. He might choose a smaller market. He plays now in Sapporo, not Tokyo.
My guess is that he’ll decide based on how much he likes the managers and coaches, since his driving force seems to be that he wants to be the best.
You are right Coast 1….from a Japan Times article a few days ago…
After weeks of others speculating about his future, Shohei Otani, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters’ captivating two-way superstar, finally had his say.
It’s not money pulling him toward the major leagues, nor the pursuit of renown. The 23-year-old star simply wants to become the best baseball player in the world, and he’s ready to kick the pursuit of his goal into high gear by moving to MLB this offseason via the posting system.
“There are still so many things I’m lacking, and I want to put myself in an environment where I can improve,” Otani told a packed house at the Japan National Press Club on Saturday morning, a day after the Fighters announced they intended to honor his wishes and post him.
“Hopefully I can go to a club that suits my way of thinking.
japantimes.co.jp/sports/2017/11/11/baseball/japane…
Worth pointing out he’ll get far better endorsements if he’s the best player on his team, regardless of what team that ends up being.
Right. That says to me he doesn’t care who offers the most money or whether the team is a winner. If he wants to improve he’s going to make the call based on the manager and coaches and pick the team that’s going to improve his game.
He sounds really humble. I know Japanese players are usually humble and the translation might make him sound even more so, but he doesn’t sound like someone who wants the limelight.
He is one of those rare players how wants to play…just to play and be the best if he can. He is a throw back. He has also said, as I am sure you know…“As long as I have enough money to be able to play baseball and am enjoying baseball,“that’s all I’m asking for right now.”
He wants to be one of the best baseball player in the world, and to stay out of the limelight? That my friends is your classic oxymoron. We don’t know a lot about his inner thoughts, but if we’re going to speculate, we might want to start with something that isn’t inherently contradictory.
@ Bluesky Well..it’s quoted from the article and video interview he did, and in his words, in Japan on 11/11 soooooo…….
I would go back and copy more but I reached my limit of views unless I want to pay…..and I don’t.
I don’t know if that’s really the case. He’ll have some possibility of endorsement income in the U.S., though I think it may be less than some think unless he speaks a lot more English than than other Japanese players who have come to the U.S.
I think that Ohtani’s real endorsement potential is the money that he can make in Japan if he’s a highly successful baseball player in MLB, which will be something of a point of national pride as a Japanese player who has proven to be among the best players in the best baseball league in the world.
I’ve read these interviews too but I am not placing too much stock in them. Maybe something is being lost in translation, I have no idea. All I can see is that they don’t really add up to much and I am resisting the impulse to draw conclusions from such slim evidence.
Unless you look at Ichiro he knows English but won’t speak it at an interview only with players. That way he can’t be misquoted and the interviews are shorter. He didn’t want to be interviewed. He didn’t want to be a vocal team leader. You could follow his example by how hard he worked but he didn’t do the rah rah stuff. I would say that is the example you would look at to see what he wants to do and be. One of the best to play the game and lead by example not vocally.
He was drafted by his team and has never been a free agent. He didn’t choose to play where he is.
He told me like everyone with class he hates the Yankees.
I am joking but no need to be like that if we hadn’t used a record number of pitchers last year we would have been in the WC. We were in it until the last couple weeks. At one time we had one of our starting five pitchers from spring training healthy and he sucked all year. We had to call guys up guys from AA to fill in SP roles we were so short on pitching. With the addition we made today and a few more SPs like Otani Darvish we will be just fine.
Seems unlikely that Ohtani has reached his peak performance in his age 21 season, since he was hurt for much of 2017 and was still mighty impressive in the limited time he played.
All of the examples given aren’t in any way the same as extending Ohtani months after signing him.
In all those cases, the player was within the organization for several seasons. Why that matters is this:
An extension of Ohtani within a short few months after him signing would seem evidential that an extension was promised in exchange for his signature. In the examples cited, it would seem odd, and rather unlikely, that a team would use the promise of an extension 2-6 years down the road as leverage to sign a draft pick.
Any extension of Ohtani within at least a full season, probably two, would be immediately challenged by the other 29 teams and likely require massive penalties from MLB’s head office.
I don’t agree. My post was based on a conversation with a good source. I truly believe that an extension for Ohtani that is commensurate with his service time would hold up. I think those players will be seen as analogous to Ohtani despite his situation.
I understand that we can know the Rays’ intentions with Moore were fine because they didn’t make him the offer right after drafting him. But the team that signs Ohtani is definitely not barred from signing him to an extension quickly.
If you let the signing team extend him after just a few months, even weeks, of service time, what is the point in international signing rules?
The MLB can’t, and likely won’t, allow for such a move.
Giving an MLB-ready star pitcher the Matt Moore offer is not something that would convince an international free agent like Ohtani to sign in the first place. It’s an offer all 30 teams would make, and it doesn’t imply anything shady. “Hey Shohei, keep this on the down low, but we’re going to make you a SUPER team-friendly extension offer in a few months, so we can control you even longer than six years.”
Now, if a team signs a 16-year-old pitcher out of the DR, puts him straight into the Majors, and offers him the Matt Moore contract, that’s shady.
Offering Ohtani the Matt Moore contract in April is easily defensible. There’s now reason for MLB to disallow it. It doesn’t violate the spirit of any rule.
You bet it does.
“Hey CAA, we can only offer your client a $300K bonus. But, what if after 45 days, we sign him to a deal that’ll guarantee him $14MM, what do you say?”
There is now no reason to even have a bonus pool or signing limits. Whether or not that kind of offer would be of interest to someone like Ohtani is irrelevant. It gives a team more money to offer the player than what the rules allow, and such a deal would almost assuredly be brought up during negotiations.
In my opinion, it violates the spirit of the rule. That’s just my opinion, though.
He’s going to earn that $14 million wherever he goes. He might get it 45 days after he hits the Majors or he might go to arbitration each year.
Exactly, the point is that all teams would offer that extension. Now if they offer him a 8/220mil extension, 3 months into the contract, that’s different. That would likely show that he was playing a bidding war and chose that team for the “extension” in the first place.
I also don’t think Ohtani is likely to sign an extension with less than one year of service. These extensions are rare for a reason – they usually represent a very risk-averse position for the player, and agents recommend against them. That’s why Longoria’s deal was such a stunner, Two of those three deals I listed initially were done by the same agency. It’s not something CAA is going to advise Ohtani to take.
Yanks sign Ohtani and open the door to DH – Pitcher option. The Rays will be the next ones to try this tend with McCay, and the Reds with Hunter Greene. This will be great for the game.
Reds play on the NL and don’t have a DH. That won’t work for them.
Thank you for addressing this potential loophole, Tim.
It’s clear circumvention, blatantly bypasses the IFA Pool, nullifying their importance to near 0.
I think 2 year minimum log time, is a nice compromise.
Not trying to start an argument or anything, but honestly want to know: why is MLBTR referring to him as Ohtani? Even in the baseball link for his name, there Baseball-Reference uses Otani, which is the name I’ve seen every other source use as well.
Thanks, I prefer to use the player’s preferred usage of name (or even preference NOT to use a nickname, as when he was younger, Bumgarner did not like MadBum, per rumors I had read by a beat writer, but I guess he mellowed later as he gave underwear with that nickname on it to a talk show host after 2014 World Series) and would like to use the correct spelling he prefers.
The best transliteration of his name would be “Ohtani”.
It’s Ohtani on his jersey and on the paperwork with his agency. Barring further information, it seems like the logical choice. I think Sean Forman said he’s going to switch to Ohtani as well.
Great, much appreciated, I’ll be sure to use that instead from now on. What you say makes total sense, I’m just surprised that if that is on his uniform, why other sources would use the wrong one, other than that one source copied a mistake and it went from there. Not the first time in media (like the eBay Pez story), thanks for clarifying for me.
The murky waters is proving the shadiness of any agreedupon hypothetical extension.
The longer he waits, before signing an extension, the less shady it looks.
The key is proving, any extension wasn’t discussed during the bidding process.
While not impossible to prove, I think the longer Ohtani waits before agreeing to any extension, more difficult the case becomes for proving it was “under the table” becomes.
MLB just needs to look at the extension and ask whether it fits with other extensions for a player with his service time (ie, low money, bunch of club options). If not, then it looks shady.
Failed to mention Harper who signed a 5 yr MLB 9.9 million deal after all of 39 PA in the AzFL. That was basically for his coming minor league and MLB minimum years. Taking into account payroll inflation that would be like a 3 yr 15 million deal for his 3 league minimum years. Then arbitration kicks in and the money rolls in like it is now for Harper
While Ohtani must sign a minor league deal , as did Harper, there’s nothing in the CBA prohibiting his MLB contract from paying more than the minimum, and nothing preventing MLB teams discussing parameters of future contracts now. I imagine such a discussion would be along the lines of a team algorithm that assigns value to his previous season and the team saying it would match that in his subsequent season. Discussing a future extension in such terms would also be permissible. Heck, you can bet Harper discussed a MLB contract before he signed his minor league deal with the Nats.
Obviously injuries are a concern but he should have no problem getting a Scherzer type insurance plan that gets him 40 million tax free in the event of a career limiting injury.
And of course endorsements in Japan and US playing for a winning team in NY or the WC should he be a MLB star will be significant and may top his MLB earnings before he makes the big bucks.
Dont worry about Ohtani, he has this well thought out. He or his agent in Japan is no dummy
If no team can offer him huge bucks under the table there’s no motivation for the team that signs him to offer him an extension immediately. They have him for 6 years regardless. They might want to see him play before offering him Longoria money. Based on the Red Sox penalty (and Braves?) anyone offering something under the table should be well aware that there will be a ton of scrutiny.
The Red Sox got off easy. Their reputation took a bigger hit than the actual punishment.
According to Baseball America:
“Instead of penalizing the Red Sox for the 2017-2018 signing period, which would have had a more damaging effect to the Red Sox since that will be the next year they can sign players more than $300,000, MLB’s decision to ban the Red Sox for 2016-2017 signings leaves several amateur prospects in Veneuela out to dry. Several 16-year old- Venezuelan players were expecting to sign with the Red Sox on Saturday, but those players are now scrambling to find deals with other clubs. Due to MLB’s timing, that could be difficult for some of those players, since a majority of those teams have already commited their bonus pool money elsewhere with oral agreements for other players. The most notable prospect who was expected to sign with the Red Sox is Venezuelan Outfielder Roimer Bolivar, the No.31 international prospect on Baseball America’s top-50”
baseballamerica.com/international/mlb-takes-away-p…
Red Sox aren’t an apt comparison. Ohtani is ranked much higher, than highest ranked RedSox INT FA affected in the scandal (#31 BA) MLB will certainly look to make an example of a team found guilty of “under the table” extension.
I would like to add, I think any team caught giving “under the table” Ohtani extension, would be a scandal that’s worth GM’ss losing jobs / draft picks over.
I think it’d be a “Coppy-level bombshell”, (Investigation pending +punishment TBA) but certainly not anywhere near Red Sox got.
anywhere near punishment* Red Sox got
I don’t see why a team should not be able to sign him to the $200M extension pretty much immediately upon hitting the bigs without league interference. Teams COULD do that with any player. They don’t because they don’t have to (b/c of team control). Why should a team be limited by anything other than their own discretion? I’m not saying they should, necessarily, just that they should be able to w/o the league stepping in.
@ pjmcnu
ATTACHMENT 46
International Amateur Talent System
No Club or player (including their designated representatives)
may enter into any understanding, agreement, or transaction, or
make any representation, whether implied or explicit, that is
designed to defeat or circumvent the provisions of the International
Amateur Talent System. Any Club (or its representatives)
that is found to have engaged in circumvention or attempted circumvention
will be subject to sanctions by the Commissioner,
including fines, suspensions, non-approval of the transaction(s)
or contract(s), and loss of future signing rights. A non-exclusive
list of conduct that will subject Clubs (and Club personnel) to
sanctions includes:
1. Providing, paying, or promising a player, his advisor, his foreign
league or federation, his trainer or his family members
anything of value other than the compensation and benefits
contained in the Minor League contract.
You don’t think a team signing him too a $200mm extension would be looked at as circumventing?
Even offering him a 5/$20MM, as Tim has asserted, would be seen as circumventing.
If a team is limited to $300K, but can extend him only months later, why have any policies in place?
The notion on the new rule, didn’t really take in to account an immediate MLB starting player.. Majority are 16yr old kids, or a few 18 year olds that will traverse through the minors. They thought about the 19+ and put wording in for them. It was the first year this new policy has been used. It won’t be perfect, but the change is a whole lot better than previous, where plain money spent, could buy you any player you wanted. If I recall one of the previous periods, maybe it was San Diego? essentially spent 100million between the players signed and the taxes they had to pay because they exceeded what was say a 6! million allotment.
Putting that in perspective, Tampa Bay hasn’t exceeded 78million in Team payroll in any given reported season. For the Pirates, 93million this year became their highest payroll ever. Oakland it’s 86million.
Milwaukee has at least surpassed 100mil but 105mil being their highest.
We’re talking a team spending more for kids than a few franchises have ever spent in a year on their MLB team..
The new rules removed that at least..
Well, you’d like to believe this will be enforced, but I find it hard to believe Ohtani’s side with Nippon doesn’t inquire on such an extension. A 50, 60, 70, or 80 thinking the understanding is what are you signing him off for 7 years when you come to buying out his team control/arb?
There is an issue with the fact that if a team is going to give him OF/DH playing time to go along with the SP role. You make the fact how an extension would be scrutinized on previous extensions at the same time it was made. But not one extension looked back on would be based on the duo role, he’s a precedent all on himself.. If he were to get 4 starts on offense/week and the 34 typical full season Starts, how can you limit him to one player when he’d have the production to two people?
MLB can’t look back on any of those extensions, because none of them are remotely similar to the Ohtani situation. They were all drafted, or acquired internationally, but signed extensions well beyond their “negotiation” period.
There is a precedent here: it’s called the Int’l Signing Rules. And Ohtani’s situation was definitely brought up last winter when the new CBA was put in place.
The MLB can’t allow Ohtani, or any player, to be an exception to a rule. Ohtani’s skillset is irrelevant. An extension, of any nature, gives teams more money to work with beyond their pool slot. MLB is about to punish the Braves for violating International signing rules. They can’t, and won’t, let anything of these sorts take place with Ohtani’s signing.
How are the value of the deal and his skill set irrelevant?
Let’s say he signs an extension with the team that signed him for 10 years at $507,500/year (the MLB minimum). Are you saying THAT would be evidence of collusion? How could that be? There’s no way that promising him that deal would have persuaded him to sign with a particular team.
The value of the deal and how good he is are likely the ONLY way we’re going to have to evaluate whether or not it’s collusion.
This is incorrect. NOT letting him sign a market-value extension would be making an exception. They’re not going to have one player who is somehow barred from signing extensions.
The Mariners are in line to make a run at signing free agent Yu Darvish. They have the money and are in need of a reliable starter in their rotation. But that’s only the first move. Yu Darvish is idolized by Shohei Ohtani. Darvish is his hero.. Ohtani could DH against right handed pitchers once and occasionally twice a week in between starts, be used as a pinch hitter late in games and of course bat for himself when on the mound.. That should give him about 300 at-bats. The pursuit of both players will be Jerry Dipoto’s main charge during the off-season. Seattle has a reputation of embracing Japanese players and offers a reachable right field fence and the shortest flight to Japan.
Ohtani signs with the Dodgers and he gets movie deals and becomes an even bigger world-wide celebrity.
Dodgers will get a solid # 2 pitcher behind Kershaw (maybe a # 1 for the post-season) and an upgrade at left lield.