Lookin like Otani is now going to be posted...

[CSF77]

I don't see the STL match up myself.

SFG yes due to location.

SEA due to team history with Japan imports.


Honestly SFG are too far away from competing. So they are out.

Cleveland may end up a dark horse. That team is pretty much set up as a long term fix in the play offs.

ChC if he doesn't care about hitting. Or if he wants to push 200 IP vs the 160 IP that he has done. I can't see any player getting 200 IP and 600 AB's myself.

Outside of that NYY and LAD would be in any conversation

 

[A.C. Milan]

Imho he'll go to the Yankees. I think he wants to go in the AL and in a big market to a team well known in Japan

 

[DanTown]

Judging Otani by what has been said about him, I don't think he's going to choose things like geographical location or team/market size. If he cared about these things, he'd likely wait and come over in a year when the money is drastically higher. The only motive I could see why someone would come early, sacrifice a ton of money, and leave Japan is to play for a different organization. What I mean by that is the manager, the management of the team, the other players, the owner, the things abut a team that are unique to each of the 30 teams. I have no idea what Otani will value in that decision but I love the Cubs (Theo, Joe, probably Rizzo/Bryant, Tom) ability to put together and convince Otani that there is something that the Cubs and the Cubs alone can offer.

I'm not saying 29 other teams can't make good arguments but I just think that the Cubs offer will be highly agreeable to what I believe Otani's reasons for leaving are.

I think Otani is different than any other international FA so the "he wants a big market, he wants an easy flight, he wants a ton of money" arguments don't apply to him. I could make a great argument for five or six other teams but I think the one place the Cubs excel in versus all other places is the synergy from the owner through management to the field. There are obvious divisions in the roles but there isn't this "us/them" dynamic in the organization. That's why I'd be shocked if he chose a team like Seattle or San Francisco or St. Louis. I don't see that dynamic in those teams nearly to the same level I see it here. If I had to handicap it, I'd assume his final choices will be (in no order)

Dodgers
Cubs
Yankees
Red Sox
Indians

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Judging Otani by what has been said about him, I don't think he's going to choose things like geographical location or team/market size. If he cared about these things, he'd likely wait and come over in a year when the money is drastically higher. The only motive I could see why someone would come early, sacrifice a ton of money, and leave Japan is to play for a different organization. What I mean by that is the manager, the management of the team, the other players, the owner, the things abut a team that are unique to each of the 30 teams. I have no idea what Otani will value in that decision but I love the Cubs (Theo, Joe, probably Rizzo/Bryant, Tom) ability to put together and convince Otani that there is something that the Cubs and the Cubs alone can offer.

I'm not saying 29 other teams can't make good arguments but I just think that the Cubs offer will be highly agreeable to what I believe Otani's reasons for leaving are.

I think Otani is different than any other international FA so the "he wants a big market, he wants an easy flight, he wants a ton of money" arguments don't apply to him. I could make a great argument for five or six other teams but I think the one place the Cubs excel in versus all other places is the synergy from the owner through management to the field. There are obvious divisions in the roles but there isn't this "us/them" dynamic in the organization. That's why I'd be shocked if he chose a team like Seattle or San Francisco or St. Louis. I don't see that dynamic in those teams nearly to the same level I see it here. If I had to handicap it, I'd assume his final choices will be (in no order)

Dodgers
Cubs
Yankees
Red Sox
Indians

Good post. I do wonder if where Darvish signs makes a difference though. There seems to be a rumbling among the baseball media that Otani will follow Darvish.

 

[DanTown]

Good post. I do wonder if where Darvish signs makes a difference though. There seems to be a rumbling among the baseball media that Otani will follow Darvish.

So you're saying the 2019 Cubs could be

Happ
Harper
Bryant
Rizzo
Contreras
Schwarber
Russell
Baez

Otani
Darvish
Quintana
Hendricks
Lester

Ok.