MLB teams already featuring a star Japanese player reportedly won’t have an advantage in signing promising Japanese two-way player Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani will have his pick of teams from those willing to pay the $20 million posting fee, and that pool of teams is expected to be large. The pitcher/outfielder currently with the Nippon-Ham Fighters has reportedly noted he would like to have resources available to him to help with his transition to the United States — both from the team he signs with and in turn the city he’ll be residing in.
However, having a big Japanese star already prominent in the city may actually be a deterrent, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.
Shohei Ohtani development: Multiple @MLB team execs believe Ohtani may actually prefer to sign with a club that doesn’t already have a Japanese star; Ohtani’s camp has not commented on that. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 1, 2017
By this logic, among a few that would fall under this umbrella are the New York Yankees with Masahiro Tanaka and whichever team ultimately signs Yu Darvish.
Given this is just a rumor, though, it’s not necessarily an indication that the Yankees, should cease all attempts at negotiations. In fact, they’ve actually recently indicated some interest in Ohtani, and noted they would let him play both ways.
