Shohei Otani apparently is ready to test his two-way power in the big leagues.
And the Yankees, who have scouted him extensively over the last couple of years, remain very much interested, evidenced by the trip general manager Brian Cashman made late last month to Japan to see the 23-year-old.
According to reports out of Japan on Tuesday night, Otani, who has been called "The Babe Ruth" of his native country, has decided to make himself available this offseason.
The reports said the Japanese team he plays for, the Nippon-Ham Fighters, will post Otani, known equally for his 100-plus mph fastballs and long home runs (he has been hampered somewhat this season by ankle and hamstring injuries).
"He's definitely intriguing," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said before Wednesday afternoon's game against the Rays at Citi Field. "Obviously, I haven't really seen much of him. You just hear reports about him. I was asked today, could a guy pitch and DH some, I think it's possible. I think you'd be concerned a little bit the day before his start, but it does create a unique situation where if he's able to DH, it kind of opens up another spot on your roster. So to me, times you needed to go to a six-man rotation, it becomes a lot easier with that spot open and there's some different things that you could do."
As a result of changes in the collective bargaining agreement, the Yankees won't be able to outspend other interested teams _ and there are a lot of them, including the Dodgers, Rangers, Padres and Cubs _ as they did when they signed Masahiro Tanaka to a seven-year, $155-million deal before the 2014 season. (Tanaka can opt out after this season.)
As an international free agent under the age of 25, teams are limited in what they can spend on him, only being able to utilize what they have in pool money. Executives and talent evaluators have said Otani, without limitations, would command a contract of at least $150 million and likely far more than that. Under currents rules, the maximum a team could spend on him is in the range of $10 million. The Yankees have about $8 million in pool money available to spend.
Tanaka said in the spring his exposure to Otani, also an outfielder, primarily has been watching him occasionally "on TV."
Tanaka said Otani seems capable of doing both but when push comes to shove, "he's a pitcher."
Girardi said Otani, who bats left-handed and throws right-handed, potentially leaving so much money on the table is a reflection of his competitiveness.
"I think he wants to compete against the best, and I think that's great," Girardi said. "And I think that's what's in every competitor's heart, they want to match up against the best to see how they fare. I think it's great."
