Going to LAAA in 2018 - Shohei Ohtani

Sox Puppet

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It’d be absurd if Ohtani fell into Preller’s lap. Of all the GMs to be handed a get out of jail free card.
I was thinking that too. But on a certain level, it makes sense. With an outfield that includes mediocrities like Jabari Blash and Hunter Renfroe, the Padres could certainly give Ohtani all the free reign he wants to try out playing RF or whatever else he feels like doing. Plus, the stakes are so low in SD that he could have a W-L record of 2-10 and an OPS of .475 and people would still be singing his praises on the way to the beach.
 

snowmanny

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The fact that LA and Chicago are on his short list already disproves your hypothesis. He didn't want east coast teams (or eastern half of the US, really). That's the factor, not a fear of pitching in NY. The New York Daily News headline is disgraceful.
Disgraceful? It's the NYDN being the NYDN. They pictured our President as a clown all last year, you know. Sports is largely about making up unsubstantiated narratives and seeing if the target (or hero) overcomes (or lives up to) expectations. And the epicenter of that way of following sports is NYC.

It's not accurate and it's stupid but if it stuck in NYC who the f* cares? Pitch a shutout against the Yankees in the playoffs and shut them up.
 

jon abbey

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So his list of finalists appears to be well correlated with a combination of proximity to the Pacific and larger Japanese ethnic populations.
It is even better correlated with teams who play spring training in Arizona where Ohtani has played in a spring camp the last two seasons. All seven teams left play ST in Arizona, all who play in Florida have been eliminated.
 

RedOctober3829

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deep inside Guido territory

Jeff Passan: Sources: Shohei Ohtani is done interviewing the seven finalists to sign him. His last meeting was actually Tuesday night with the San Diego Padres. Next, presumably, will be his decision. Timetable is not clear yet, but it could well be soon.
 

Marciano490

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The Mariners must've been huge in Japan via Ichiro as Ohtani was growing up, right?
 

Tokyo Sox

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I still say LAD, but what do I know. Yes, the Mariners became huge here in 2001 and are still pretty high profile. Iwakuma is no Ichiro but people still pay attention.
 

Dr Manhattan

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Maybe it’s not ‘I need to be near mommy and daddy’. Or be coddled. Maybe it’s ‘im taking them into consideration and trying to accommodate them as well’. Maybe it’s also that there’s almost zero difference in what he can make monetarily so why not spend three years getting acclimated with a close distance to home, in a smaller market in a new country, then reassess.

These people live lives. Boston or NY is halfway around the world, a fucking shitshow for privacy and the weather sucks. Houston is a flood zone. Maybe, just maybe, he looks at this as a job and not a passion or calling? Maybe he’s a bulldog when he toes the rubber and otherwise kind of reclusive?

It amazes me how we read into decisions like this and make judgments on people’s makeup or psyche, while forgetting they are human beings. He could have just had a really nice king crab dinner in Seattle and likes to watch them toss fish. Why does that matter?
Its sad that I have to call out this post as being particularly well made, as this should be the kind of obvious default, but well done, I wholeheartly agree with everything you wrote here.
 

mt8thsw9th

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NYC isn't "halfway around the world" from Tokyo. This isn't 1960. It's three hours difference from the west coast (direct flights go over the North Pole, not across the country with a layover like they once did). I'm sure there are number of reasons more salient than that. Having his games on at noon back home instead of 9am is certainly an advantage for some. Weather doesn't mean anything because he's likely not living in the US from November to March (which Japanese stars have lived in the US full-time?), and when you're rich, how often are you exposing yourself to the elements?

Honestly, I think it comes down to not wanting to play in the pressure cookers in the east coast, combined with pitchers not hitting (which personally I think is stupid because the DH gives an opportunity to hit a LOT more).

If Chicago is still in this, Boston and New York would probably be as well if they had their spring homes in Arizona.
 

Bigpupp

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The best part or this whole thing has been how terribly wrong the "experts" in baseball were every step of the way. They're just throwing shit against the wall, just like us.
 

ThePrideofShiner

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Apparently the Angels were the only team who would let Ohtani pitch and hit every day.

If you are the Mariners why wouldn't you at least claim you were willing to do that?
 

BigSoxFan

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Apparently the Angels were the only team who would let Ohtani pitch and hit every day.

If you are the Mariners why wouldn't you at least claim you were willing to do that?
Particularly when your financial exposure is basically nothing. Really weird. And stupid.
 

jon abbey

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Rough break for Seattle, not only do they lose him but he goes to another team in their division. I think maybe the rumors that he wanted a team who hadn't had Japanese players before ended up being true.
 

John Marzano Olympic Hero

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Rough break for Seattle, not only do they lose him but he goes to another team in their division. I think maybe the rumors that he wanted a team who hadn't had Japanese players before ended up being true.
You know what, in retrospect, this makes a lot of sense. Ichiro is probably the best player to come to the US from Japan, he's still beloved in Seattle and so his shadow was going to hang over Ohtani, no matter what he did. Especially considering that what Ichiro did was so unprecedented, not just from a Japanese player, but really from any MLB player. He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer that was an immediate cultural phenomenon.

Could Ohtani do that? Maybe. Does he want to deal with that extra pressure of being Ichiro? I wouldn't. Why start in a place where there is already a huge shadow when you can play in the sun of Anaheim. This same thing will happen to the guy who takes Brady's place as Patriots quarterback one day.

The worst job in sports is replacing (and I know that Ohtani isn't a direct replacement for Ichiro, but he'd be the next big Japanese import) a legend. If you don't have to do it, don't.

Edit: Plus he gets to play every day with Mike Trout and not have the burden of carrying the franchise on his back. Ohtani is a smart dude.
 

Snodgrass'Muff

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Rough break for Seattle, not only do they lose him but he goes to another team in their division. I think maybe the rumors that he wanted a team who hadn't had Japanese players before ended up being true.
There's not nearly enough information to jump to this conclusion.

Edit: Plus he gets to play every day with Mike Trout and not have the burden of carrying the franchise on his back. Ohtani is a smart dude.
I'm going to have to go back to a premium MLB.TV account. That's going to be a fun team to watch.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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NYC isn't "halfway around the world" from Tokyo. This isn't 1960. It's three hours difference from the west coast (direct flights go over the North Pole, not across the country with a layover like they once did). I'm sure there are number of reasons more salient than that. Having his games on at noon back home instead of 9am is certainly an advantage for some. Weather doesn't mean anything because he's likely not living in the US from November to March (which Japanese stars have lived in the US full-time?), and when you're rich, how often are you exposing yourself to the elements?

Honestly, I think it comes down to not wanting to play in the pressure cookers in the east coast, combined with pitchers not hitting (which personally I think is stupid because the DH gives an opportunity to hit a LOT more).

If Chicago is still in this, Boston and New York would probably be as well if they had their spring homes in Arizona.
Wait, what? If travel distance doesn’t make a difference why does spring training site make a difference? We’re going to compare weather in LA vs NYC/Boston?

Maybe he/his SO/his family has a fear of flight issue and that 4 hrs difference makes a big deal?

The character and makeup judgments/projections being made, purely because ‘he didn’t pick my team and why wouldn’t he if he wasn’t mentally soft’ are Johnny from Burger King - esque. String work guys and gals.
 

jon abbey

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There's not nearly enough information to jump to this conclusion..
I did say "I think" and "maybe", but it sounded like it was something he wanted before his people walked it back around when he was posted last week.
 

Cesar Crespo

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And, presumably, they won't lose Trout for 6 weeks. The Angels are a good team. This makes them better.

Now watch them turn around and trade for Stanton and start nipping on the Astros' heels, heh.

I mentioned it somewhere on the board, but I would love to see that move and think it would be great for baseball. A Trout, Stanton and Upton OF? Yes, please.
 

DanoooME

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Current Lineup. Pujols on the bench?
Calhoun RF
Trout CF
Upton LF
Cron 1B
Simmons SS
Ohtani DH
Valbuena 3B
Cowart 2B
Maldonado C
In that scenario, they'd dump Cron for 20 cents on the dollar. In which case, the Sox should swoop in.

But, alas, that doesn't look like it's going to happen.

Edit: Might as well change the thread title too.
 

Cesar Crespo

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In that scenario, they'd dump Cron for 20 cents on the dollar. In which case, the Sox should swoop in.

But, alas, that doesn't look like it's going to happen.

Edit: Might as well change the thread title too.

What do you mean? Cron makes next to nothing and would be their 1b?
 

mt8thsw9th

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The character and makeup judgments/projections being made, purely because ‘he didn’t pick my team and why wouldn’t he if he wasn’t mentally soft’ are Johnny from Burger King - esque. String work guys and gals.
Please point out where I said anything about this mentality. I'll hang up and listen.

I did, however, merely point out that the markets are more crazy. Which they are. So if I choose on going on a quiet trip rather than a bustling metropolis, it's because I'm mentally soft, right? Or wanting a more laid back work or home environment means you can't handle one that's not? This isn't a black or white thing.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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Please point out where I said anything about this mentality. I'll hang up and listen.

I did, however, merely point out that the markets are more crazy. Which they are. So if I choose on going on a quiet trip rather than a bustling metropolis, it's because I'm mentally soft, right? Or wanting a more laid back work or home environment means you can't handle one that's not? This isn't a black or white thing.
Ok, so then what was meant by ‘honestly I think it’s about not wanting to play in the pressure cookers of the east coast’? Because it certainly seems to be implying he’s soft and plenty of others have come right out and said it. Let’s start with that. This isn’t a quiet trip, it’s his life for the next three years at minimum.
 

santadevil

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So I think I've read all of the posts in this thread, but is the initial offer essentially just a signing bonus and he plays for the MLB minimum for the next 2 years?
Or will it be 6 six, with arbitration and other things in the mix?

The only reason I say 2 years is that is what he would be required to wait to become an international free agent with no posting fee, or limits on his contract.

Forgive my ignorance here, because I really don't know
 

Snodgrass'Muff

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So I think I've read all of the posts in this thread, but is the initial offer essentially just a signing bonus and he plays for the MLB minimum for the next 2 years?
Or will it be 6 six, with arbitration and other things in the mix?

The only reason I say 2 years is that is what he would be required to wait to become an international free agent with no posting fee, or limits on his contract.

Forgive my ignorance here, because I really don't know
He's like any other non-exempt IFA. The Angels control him for 6 major league seasons (the next six, assuming they don't try to snipe a 7th year by starting him in AAA for a month an a half). They can extend him eventually, but the league has said they will be watching that closely and won't abide what they believe to be a circumvention of the existing IFA limits (can't go over your bonus pool for the year in the signing bonus, can promise a major league contract or immediately sign an extension, etc). So I'm guessing it'll be at least two seasons before that's on the table.