The biggest prize in baseball free agency this offseason will not be joining the largest market in the country. Per multiple reports Shohei Ohtani will not sign with the New York Yankees, as the Japanese sensation narrows his field of potential suitors.
Shohei Ohtani won’t sign with Yankees, per reports
Japanese star will reportedly meet this week with Mariners, Giants, and others
New York general manager Brian Cashman, who on Friday pleaded for Ohtani from high atop a building, told reporters on Sunday he was informed by Ohtani’s representatives the Yankees were out of the running for the two-way star.
Ohtani, 23, was 42-15 with a 2.52 ERA in five years in Japan, and also hit .286/.358/.500 with 48 home runs, including 22 home runs in 104 games in 2016. Subject to international signing bonus limits, Ohtani will initially sign a minor league deal and be paid a relative pittance compared to what he might have earned as a true free agent, something he wouldn’t have qualified for until after the 2019 season.
That makes his courtship this offseason much more like a college recruitment, especially with teams asked to answer a questionnaire and make a presentation of their team to Ohtani.
The Yankees were considered one of the favorites to land Ohtani, but now it seems he is leaning toward a team out west, with several other teams eliminated from the running as well.
Ohtani, who was posted on Friday, has until Dec. 22 to sign with an MLB team, with the winning team set to pay a $20 million posting fee to the Nippon Ham Fighters, Ohtani’s old team.
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