Los Angeles Dodgers MLB Trade and Roster Rumors: Can the Dodgers Sign Shohei Otani This Offseason?
Baseball fans in the United States may get the chance to see Japanese phenom Shohei Otani up close next season.
According to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan, multiple reports from Japan have indicated that Otani is ready to make the move to Major League Baseball (MLB) this offseason via the posting system. The two-way star can actually earn more if he waits until he is a free agent two years from now, but it appears that he's not doing it for the money.
"It isn't about the money. Athletes reflexively say this, and sports fans roll their eyes, because of course it's about the money. It's always about the money. Then along comes Shohei Otani, 23 years old, the finest baseball player Japan has produced in years, maybe decades, a once-in-a-generation sort who can throw 102 mph and hit tape-measure home runs, a player whose free-market value would start at $200 million if Major League Baseball didn't restrict the signings of international players under 25 to barely $10 million," Passan said in his column.
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Well, that's great for a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams will have between $4.75 million and $5.75 million to spend on international amateurs between July 2, 2017, and June 15, 2018. Right now, the National League-leading Dodgers can't spend over $300,000 on any player during the 2017–18 signing period because they have exceeded their pool limit.
However, signing Otani shouldn't be a problem if he's willing to take less to play in the majors, and Passan said the Dodgers are a threat to sign him this offseason.
It should be noted that the Dodgers actually came close to signing Otani out of high school five years ago, and they have kept him on their radar even since. In fact, the team has recently sent their scouts to see him play in Japan, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. Team president Andrew Friedman, director of player personnel Galen Carr, and former Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser also saw him in action last month.
The Dodgers already have Yu Darvish and Kenta Maeda on their roster. Can they add another Japanese star this offseason?
