Drayer: A look at the Mariners’ Shohei Ohtani-issued homework
Nov 27, 2017, 5:02 PM | Updated: 5:10 pm
The Mariners have their sights set on acquiring Shohei Ohtani. (AP)
(AP)
Get your rest and drink plenty of fluids. We are just days away from Ohtani-palooza.
With the MLB owners scheduled to vote for ratification of the posting agreement with Japan’s NPB on Dec. 1, Shohei Ohtani is expected to be posted shortly after. Then 21 days of frenzy will commence.
Drayer: Dipoto opens up about Mariners’ pursuit of Shohei Ohtani
Homework has already been assigned, with Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times publishing the details of a memo Ohtani’s agent sent to all 30 MLB clubs. The agent asks for interested clubs to submit presentations in both English and Japanese, if possible, on the following questions in order for Ohtani to make first cuts to the field of prospective suitors.
- “An evaluation of Shohei’s talent as a pitcher and/or a hitter;
- Player development, medical, training and player performance philosophies and capabilities;
- Major League, Minor League, and Spring Training facilities;
- Resources for Shohei’s cultural assimilation;
- A detailed plan for integrating Shohei into the organization;
- Why the city and franchise are a desirable place to play;
- Relevant marketplace characteristics.”
This is hardly a pop quiz for the Mariners with Jerry Dipoto pointing out on his podcast that the team has been preparing for an opportunity to sell the club and city to Ohtani for the better part of a year now. Elaborate and often creative presentations are the norm for top free agents, but with a strict 21-day time limit on this deal once Ohtani is posted and no guarantee of a Seattle visit, the answers to the very specific questions carry even more significance.
How does Seattle and the Mariners measure up? For extra credit perhaps, both got a hearty endorsement from Hisashi Iwkuma, who signed a minor league deal with the club on Monday.
