(Scottsdale) The race to add star player Shohei Ohtani via a massive free agent contract has begun in secret.
“He’s a special player, that’s all I’m going to say,” said Chris Young, general manager of the Texas Rangers, the most recent World Series champions.
“We’ll be interested in looking at anything that’s available that can make us better,” New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.
“We can ask some questions, but I can’t tell you that we’re going all in,” said Dana Brown, general manager of the Houston Astros.
The 30 general managers of Major League Baseball met this week, as part of the general managers’ meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Privately, they are likely discussing developments in the Ohtani auction, which could cost the winning team more than US$500 million. Publicly, questions about this potentially historic offer have drawn cautious responses.
Even the team that employed the Japanese sensation for the past six seasons – the Los Angeles Angels – doesn’t seem to have a good idea of his future.
“There’s going to be a lot of attention on it and I can understand why,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian said. He’s a very good player. We’ll see how the off-season goes. We have our plan and we are going to try to execute it and see where it takes us. »
Ohtani is one of the most fascinating cases since the inception of Major League Baseball’s free agent market in 1976.
At 29, he’s coming off one of the best two-position seasons in major league history, with 44 home runs and a .304 batting average, while posting a 10-5 record and ERA. 3.14 earned run on the mound.
It’s unclear how much value Ohtani will provide as a pitcher in future seasons. He just underwent Tommy John surgery in September for the second time in six years. The list of pitchers who have successfully returned from this type of operation, undergone twice, is quite short.
Nathan Eovaldi, who just won the World Series with the Rangers, Jameson Taillon and Daniel Hudson are a few examples who have found success again.
Even though Ohtani can’t contribute much on the mound, he’s still one of the sport’s elite hitters. He’s also a good enough athlete that he could become an option at first pad or the outfield as he gets older.
There is also an off-field component that cannot be fully quantified. Ohtani has achieved a celebrity status that few other current baseball players can imagine, and his arrival in any city would undoubtedly mean a huge boost in fan interest.
Instead of defining the free agent market this offseason, Ohtani is a market unto himself.
“He brings so much to the sport, so much enthusiasm. He has a fan base and is an exciting player, Brown said. I would love to have it, but shall we take the chance? »
Ohtani is the crown jewel of this year’s free agent market, which seems a bit short on team-changing players, especially among the hitters. Cody Bellinger, a former NL Most Valuable Player, bounced back with an excellent season with the Chicago Cubs. Four-time Gold Glove winner Matt Chapman is a quality third baseman. Tim Anderson, twice selected to the All-Star game, is looking for a change of scenery.
On the mound, veterans Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray, Jordan Montgomery and Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto will generate a lot of interest.
None of them will come close to what Ohtani can bring – on and off the court.
But for half a billion dollars? That’s a lot of money.
