The posting system lives long enough to bring Shohei Ohtani and a big pay day to the Fighters:
MLB, NPB, and the MLBPA agreed to a new posting system prior to tonight’s deadline, according to multiple reports. Ohtani will be grandfathered in under the old posting agreement this offseason, meaning the Nippon Ham Fighters will receive a $20M release fee. The new posting agreement will take effect next offseason.
Joel Sherman has the details of the new posting rates:
1/just to clarify my confusing tweet from earlier: Beginning next offseason if Japanse player signs a major league contract, a Japanese team will receive 20 percent of the total of the contract plus all earned bonuses, buyouts on unexercised options and full amount of option yrs
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 22, 2017
2/ 20 pct on guarantees up to $25M, 17.5 pct of deals between $25M-$50M, 15 pct for any pact over $50M.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 22, 2017
I don’t think Ohtani will be a two-way player in MLB. There is just too much specialization and preparation needed for a batter or a pitcher. If he were to pitch and hit, he might be better off in the AL where he would serve as the designated hitter in games he did not pitch. However, the team would lose the DH in games in which he did pitch and came out early (even if he moves to another position). My guess is that whoever signs him will minimize the two way playing, deciding which is more valuable, batting or pitching.
The Fighters would have Ohtani DH a couple days a week – IIRC he’d DH maybe three games a week and start once a week (typically the NPB teams only play six games a week). He hasn’t played in the outfield since 2014. He would also bat in games that he was pitching in – the Fighters decided that it was only a couple at bats that might be an issue since he usually went deep into the game.
>I don’t think Ohtani will be a two-way
>player in MLB. There is just too much
>specialization and preparation needed for a
>batter or a pitcher.
Which is exactly what everyone said in 2013 in NPB. They were wrong. MLB is more difficult than NPB but I would not bet against Ohtani pulling it off. In fact I think the deciding factor for Ohtani picking a team will be which team lets him (or at least says it will let him) both pitch and hit. It doesn’t appear to me that money is an issue for him – if it was, he’d be waiting two more years to be posted.
NPB Card Guy » Thanks.
He doesn’t hit in games he pitches. That solves that problem. And the Yankees, er, whichever team gets him, has a legit hitter in NL parks.
There are a few considerations. I don’t think he’d hit if he started a game in the AL. He’d pitch and DH on off days. I think the NL has zero chance here.
Also, Dave I think you will appreciate this, he’s a nightmare for fantasy baseball apps/code. CBS plans to make him available as both a hitter and a pitcher. Killing his value.
To rework the code to allow for pitchers hitting stats is pretty much a immpossible …so he’s available as a hitter and as pitcher! A first for sure.
I dont really agree. A team like the Yankees for example will have no trouble finding good hitters on the roster for 1-2 PA on days Ohtani pitches.
I would think Ohtani will be able to hit 3-4 times per week for 12-15 PA and get 300+ PA. His endorsement revenue potential and future arb and FA earnings will be tied to his being in a maximum number of games and doing well at both pitching and hitting. Otherwise he would be better off waiting to be a FA and sign as a SPer only
Teams that agree to this requirement and who will give him some latitude to establish himself as a hitter can sign him. Those who don’t won’t. Some Teams will benefit from increased Japanese ticket sales the more he plays, as well as increased ratings and perhaps increased sponsorship, overseas TV revenue (even if shared). Obviously there is a minimum level of performance at both positions that if not met could change this after some time.
I think we are too quick to rule out the ability of a player to DH a couple of times a week while pitching 6-7 innings 1-2 times per week. I’d basically give him a day off after start and before a start on the mound, except as a PH, and have him start on the mound or at DH the rest of the time.
I bet if Babe Ruth and the Yankees had the DH option and pitch counts while pitching every 5 days the Babe would have continued pitching
The team has zero development costs aside from the 20 million posting fee. There is a ton of surplus value there even if his performance as a pitcher suffers and he cant hit well enough to compensate for that silly position adjustment at DH. There is no reason not to agree to his demands at the start but teams and Ohtani should mutually agree to set a limit for performance after some period that if not met would allow them to use him as they see fit.