The Shohei Otani to the Majors Watch is Now On

Major League teams have been waiting for Shohei Otani to be posted for some time now. It looks like that time will be coming this offseason.

Over the past few years, few players have had the hype that Shohei Otani has. Considered to be the best player in the world not currently playing in the majors, Otani has already earned comparisons to babe Ruth before even putting on a uniform stateside. Given his tremendous power, and record setting velocity in Japan, Otani is the type of talent that we may not have seen in generations.

Naturally, the speculation as to when Otani would head stateside has been rampant. He was considered to be a near certainty to be posted, at least until the new labor agreement changed the rules when it came to foreign players. As Otani was only 23 years old this season, he would forgo a large payout if he decided to ply his trade in the majors before he turned 25.

Well, now it is time to begin the Shohei Otani Watch. According to multiple reports, Otani is requesting that he be posted after the season, even though nothing is official. Nonetheless, this news is certainly interesting, even if it is not entirely unexpected. After all, Otani had made his desire to come to the majors known in the past.

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As it is, major league teams have been anticipating such a move this offseason. Teams like the Yankees and Red Sox have acquired international bonus money, presumably in an effort to land the coveted Japanese star. At least half the teams in the majors had scouts at his past two starts, seeing how Otani looked on the mound after his injury woes this year.

With this move, Otani would also verify his stance that his primary concern is not his upcoming salary. He is, instead, looking to face the highest level of competition, and wants a chance to be a pitcher and position player. Regardless of how much money a team can offer, those considerations into his playing time will make a difference.

Should this move become official, we may be in for a circus the likes of which we have not seen before. Every top foreign player has their own built in hype, but none have been compared to Babe Ruth. Likewise, none of those other prospects were as eagerly anticipated for years as Otani had been.

Next: Potential landing spots for Otani

Shohei Otani may be coming to the majors. It is going to be a fascinating offseason to see where he ends up.