Minnesota Twins Rumors: Are they now in the hunt for Ohtani?
Minnesota Twins part ways with one of their top prospects, Jelfry Marte. Could the reason be that they are in pursuit of International sensation Shohei Ohtani?
The Minnesota Twins have a bit more wiggle room when it comes to signing International players, after releasing highly acclaimed prospect Jelfry Marte.
A possible reason for that transaction could be that the Minnesota Twins are wanting to make room for Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani.
After dumping the contract of Marte, the Minnesota Twins had $6,000,000 to use in the sweepstakes of Otani. Or so we thought.
Reports surfaced that the Minnesota Twins have less than expected in International spending money:
To try to clear up any confusion. The AP reported last week the Twins had $3.2 million to spend internationally. The Marte voided deal was $3 million of that $3.2 million they have available, but the Marte voiding wasn't known publicly til @BenBadler reported it today.
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) November 15, 2017
Nevertheless, the Minnesota Twins will still be one of the favorites to land the talented youngster. Take a look at the spending money that the Minnesota Twins are competing with, in attempts to lure Ohtani to the Twin Cities.
- Texas Rangers: $3,535,000
- New York Yankees: $3,250,000
- Minnesota Twins: $3,245,000
- Pittsburgh Pirates $2,266,750
- Miami Marlins $1,740,000
- Seattle Mariners: $1,570,500
The next best in pursuit of Otani:
- Philadelphia Phillies: $900,000
- Milwaukee Brewers: $765,000
- Arizona Diamondbacks:$731,250
- Baltimore Orioles: $660,000
- Boston Red Sox: $462,000
- Tampa Bay Rays: $440,500
As you can see, the bidding for Ohtani is going to be an interesting one, to say the least. The Twins do have a good shot at landing the 20-year-old phenom but do have to compete with the likes of the heavyweight New York Yankees and popular Texas Rangers.
For those of you who have been living under a rock and are late to the party, you might be wondering who Shohei Ohtani is? More of you might be contemplating the same about Jelfry Marte.
International Sensation, Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani is known to the world as “Japan’s Babe Ruth” with his skill mashing baseballs and hurling the rock.
In Japan over the past two years, Ohtani hit .326/.411/.570 while plating 89 runs, smacking 34 doubles, legging out two triples, crushing 30 home runs, 98 RBI, and swiping seven stolen bases in the process.
Shohei Ohtani boasts a higher strikeout rate than Clayton Kershaw and better home run rate than Bryce Harper. The question now is: Which big league team will let him play both ways?
Ohtani is more in demand for his skills throwing the rock, having an exhilarating fastball, with an array of compliments to go with it — curve, split-finger fastball, and a devastating slider.
On the mound, Ohtani has logged a stellar 42-15 record in 85 games, 82 as a starting pitcher. He’s racked up 543 innings pitched, a microscopic 2.52 ERA, low WHIP of 1.08 and over a three to one strikeout to walk ratio (200/624 BB/K).
In April it was first announced that Ohtani would be leaving Japan for the land of opportunity, an opportunity to play in Major League Baseball under the bright lights and the big stage.
Unfortunately, the world was not able to get a taste of this rising star, who sat out due to an ankle injury during the World Baseball Classic.
But, soon enough the entire planet will know of his existence, and hopefully, for your team’s sake, he will be on your roster. The Minnesota Twins could be the one to land the electric righty.
From the limelight to obscurity
Diving into the unknown, we switch gears to Jelfry Marte. Unlike the before mentioned Shohei Ohtani, Marte is a lesser-known presence on the upcoming MLB scene. However, the two are connected, for totally different reasons.
If the Minnesota Twins end up signing Ohtani, Marte and their voiding of his contract are the reasons why. Apparently, Marte has had “vision problems” that have hindered his progress, one reason the Twins let him go.
Or, it could be code for “we need extra space for Ohtani, who can we get rid of”? Marte is likely a casualty of war, so to speak. The war of baseball bidding, that is.
Who is Jelfry Marte?
Marte, from the Dominican Republic, was the top International signing prospect the Minnesota Twins made last season, giving him a signing bonus of $3 million — awkward.
He is a pure shortstop, with the potential to become gold glove caliber if he can ever make it to the Big Leagues. Marte is equipt with “excellent instincts and hands.”
The hole in his defensive arsenal is not skill related, where he is still learning how to allow the game to come him. He often rushes his throws and has miscues on routine plays.
He is no world beater, like Ohtani, at the dish, but he can develop into a solid MLB hitter. Marte is also a guy that could steal 20 plus bags at the MLB level.
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Both Ohtani and Marte could always be connected if the Minnesota Twins land the former, a bond that will be an unpleasant memory for Marte.
The Twins will have to compete with some big boys in landing Ohtani, but I believe they have a fighting chance.
Whoever snags Marte up will find a real gem, one that could put their team over the top. Maybe it won’t be next season like Ohtani can, but he will be worth the wait.
That is, if Marte can get his “vision” fixed — I know a guy named Tommy Pham who can help you with that — you might see him in a future MLB All-Star game alongside Ohtani.