General manager Rick Hahn quoted a couple of history's greatest philosophers when describing the White Sox's presentation to prized Japanese free agent Shohei Otani.
" 'You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take,' said Wayne Gretzky and Michael Scott," Hahn said Friday. "So that's our approach on this one."
Major League Baseball owners voted Friday to ratify a posting system that allows Otani to leave Japan and sign with a team for the 2018 MLB season.
Otani, 23, is a star player in Japan and intends to be a double-threat as a right-handed pitcher and left-handed-hitting outfielder with whichever MLB team he chooses. The Sox have limited funds in their international bonus pool but nevertheless made a presentation to Otani, according to Hahn.
"We did submit a presentation as I suspect just about every other club in baseball did," Hahn said. "Despite the fact that we realize the odds are long given the competition and other restrictions placed upon our ability to sign the player, we are committed to exploring every potential avenue to make this club better for the long term. We absolutely are interested in Otani.
"Look, we know this is a long shot, but again, we have a responsibility to do everything we can and leave no stone unturned in terms of trying to find any avenue to put ourselves in the best position going forward for the long term."
The Cubs reportedly are among teams that have a high interest in Otani.
