DODGERS 2017 NEWS/RUMORS/AROUND MLB Thread

Nippon Ham Fighters to post Shohei Otani for 2018 season
by Matthew Moreno | Dodger Blue — 2 hours ago

For the better part of the past two years, Major League Baseball teams, executives and scouts alike have anticipated and wondered when Japanese start Shohei Otani would make the jump stateside.

The 23-year-old is in his fifth season with the Fighters. Otani has cemented himself not only as the country’s best pitcher, but best hitter as well. He was expected to participate in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, but an ankle injury forced Team Japan to leave the dynamic talent off their roster.

On the heels of Otani making just his third start on the mound this season, came multiple reports that the Fighters will make him available for Major League teams via the posting system, according to Kyodo News:

"Nippon Ham Fighters slugging ace pitcher Shohei Otani is likely to go to the major leagues through the posting system after the end of this season, an informed source said Wednesday."​

While there was a growing expectation that Otani would depart from Japan following this season, the timing of his decision comes at a loss of tens of millions in potential earning value. MLB overhauled spending limits and regulations for international free agents under the age of 25.

The new Collective Bargaining Agreement has capped teams’ bonus pools between $4.75 million and $5.75 million. Though some, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, are limited to $300,000 as penalty for previously exceeding pool limits.

Team are permitted to trade for international bonus money, with the capability of increasing their pool by a maximum of 75 percent. The Dodgers moved to do as much when they traded Chris Hatcher to Oakland Athletics, and Jason Wheeler to the Baltimore Orioles.

If Otani were to play two more seasons with the Fighters, he’d be eligible to sign with any MLB team for any value, rather than go through the posting process. What’s more, MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball need to agree on a terms of a new posting sytem.

In the past, the posting fee paid to a Japanese team was $20 million. As it stands, Otani will receive a signing bonus from whichever MLB team he elects to join, sign a Minor League contract and have it purchased so he could be added to a 40-man roster.

He then would begin an MLB career just as any other Minor League player.

 

Kershaw, Otani, Darvish, Wood, Hill
Urias, Buehler, or any other prospect will no longer have a starting spot waiting for them.
They will have to take out Wood or Hill for the 5th spot.
Prove to be better then them and you can join the rotation.
At the very least it allows for some really nice trade chips.
Otani is guaranteed at bats if he joins an NL club.
And Dave already sent the signal that he would use Otani as a pinch hitter by doing so with Maeda this season.
Pinch hitting, hits regular at bats as a starter, plus if he really is a good hitter he would be our DH most games against the AL.
In the WS we would have a real nice advantage over pretty much every team.

 

fucken love this
hopefully his teammates feel the same way

• Kenley: “I don’t care how good the Indians are playing. I don’t care how good the Nationals are playing. We are still the best team in baseball.”

 

We are Japanese friendly.
Lots of Japanese here.
Lots of Japanese and other east Asians on the team and in our history.
Darvish is his favorite player and role model.
Many teams wont allow him to be a regular hitter because of injury risk, the nerds might look at it differently.

 

Many GM's and coaches have said they would not promise him an opportunity to hit.
But that may change of course.

 

Yup.
The team that can pay him the least is the Dodgers. We spent all our international money already.
He comes here out of love and respect. The Dodgers long tradition of treating Asian pitchers well.

 

The Dodgers treatment of Yu Darvish even if his stint is short lived may play some factor into Otani's decision.

 

Inside Baseball listed their top 25 free agents and predictions on where they'll go

Here are the guys they linked to the Dodgers:

2. Jake Arrieta, Cubs SP. It’s harder to guess with a pitcher, especially one who’s expected to find a new team such as Arrieta. His big second half before going down with a calf injury should mean he’s priced out for several teams. He’s certainly been pretty good at Dodger Stadium in the past, so that could be a possibility. The big question is who’ll get more between Arrieta and Darvish, and here are the key factors:

Darvish is seen as having better stuff and an international following while Arrieta has come up bigger in big games, has fewer innings as a pro counting Arrieta’s first career in Japan and never has had major arm surgery.

Best Guess: Dodgers, Rangers, Cardinals.

8. Wade Davis, Cubs closer. The Cubs seem to like closers on short-term deals, so presumably he will have better choices elsewhere.

Best Guess: Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees (Cobb has ties to Dodgers president of baseball ops Andrew Friedman and Cubs manager Joe Maddon from their joint time in Tampa)

11. Lorenzo Cain, Royals OF. Yet another top Royals free agent, he should do well off another exceptional year. Though, the expectation is that he will do better elsewhere.


“He’s gone,” said one person familiar with past negotiations, which ended with the sides far apart.

Joc Pederson has struggled this year, so maybe L.A. cold work. With Carlos Gomez a free agent, perhaps Texas could find a spot for him.

Best Guesses: Dodgers, Rangers.

 

I want Lorenzo Cain.
He works perfectly for this team going forward in CF.
Right between Puig and Mike Stanton who we will get next year.

vs righties
2B: Taylor
SS: Seager
LF: Stanton
1B: Bellinger
3B: Turner
RF: Puig
C : Barnes
P : Otani
CF: Cain

vs lefties
CF: Cain
SS: Seager
3B: Turner
LF: Stanton
1B: Bellinger
2B: Taylor
C : Barnes
P : Otani
RF: Puig

Stanton + Cain = No More Platoons
We can trade Joc and Verdugo in a package to the Marlins.

 

I never put those guys in my lineups. You know how I like to stay realistic