Can Shohei Otani remain a two-way player?

Now that we know for sure that Japanese pitching and slugging superstar Shohei Otani is going to be posted this winter, everyone can focus on the biggest question: where will he sign? But there’s a second question that’s intimately connected with the first, and it’s almost as important: can Otani remain a two-way player?

That Otani is an elite hitter as well as pitcher (he can also play outfield, too) isn’t the sole reason that MLB teams want him, but it’s definitely intriguing. And Otani has said it’s something he wants to continue doing if at all possible. Even his soon-to-be-former manager and team owner in Japan want him to keep pitching and hitting. But Otani knows it’s not a sure thing. In the press conference he gave a few days ago, he said that he hopes MLB teams will be open to it, and he wants to hear what they have to say.

Realistically, the only way Otani can really continue to be a two-way player is if he pitches and becomes a designated hitter. It’s hard to imagine a world in which any team would allow their superstar pitcher to play the outfield on a regular basis when he’s not on the mound. So that limits Otani to American League teams. (Sorry, National League.) Looking at the teams with more than $1 million in international bonus pool money to spend, there are six: four AL, and two NL, with the Rangers, Yankees, and Twins in the top three with more than $3 million to spend each. (The Mariners are the fourth AL team.)

With AL teams having the most international bonus pool money to spend, that at least gives Otani a better chance of signing with a team who might be willing to let him DH a few days a week when he’s not pitching. But we don’t know what the future holds. The team that signs him could be fully on board, and allow him to DH whenever he wants. If he proves himself at the plate, he could be a very valuable asset. But it’s also easy to envision a scenario in which he starts off DHing a few days a week, and then he does it less and less as he puts his whole focus on pitching.

This is why Shohei Otani is by far the most interesting free agent of the offseason. The question of where he signs is actually several questions at once. What will make him sign with a certain team? Since he’s not looking for a huge payday, what are the qualities he’s looking for in a team? In a city? And how much of a role will the two-way question play? We may not have to wait too long to find out.