How Shohei Ohtani’s MLB arrival affects the Cleveland Indians

Possibly the most hyped foreign player in recent memory is coming to America to play baseball. How does his arrival in the MLB affect the Cleveland Indians?

If you follow baseball, then by now you’ve likely heard of Shohei Ohtani. If you haven’t then get ready to. Ohtani has been called “The Babe Ruth of Japan” and his numbers back it up.

As a pitcher he had a 1.86 ERA, 10 wins and was the Pacific League MVP in 2016. That same year he also smacked 22 home runs. His 2017 season was limited due to a thigh injury. Now he is coming to America to play for a MLB team.

Being the “two-way” player that he is, I personally think the National League would be the better home for him. He could work his way to the top of a rotation and come to flourish as one of the best hitting pitchers in baseball. Oh, and he wouldn’t face the Cleveland Indians very often.

With all of that said, there is a good chance he could land in the American League. The New York Yankees are (of course) one of the many AL teams that are taking a good look at him. Ohtani landing on any AL team could have an effect on the Indians.

Minnesota Twins

The Twins are one of the three teams that can offer Ohtani a bonus of over $3 million. While Ohtani has said money doesn’t matter in his decision it certainly helps. Their lineup allows him to work into being the two-way player he wants to be.

How it affects the Indians:

Minnesota had the best turnaround in baseball thanks to AL Manager of the Year Paul Molitor. Having the rotation of Ohtani along with Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios would cause major headaches for the AL Central. Ohtani ending up with the Twins or anywhere in the division is really the worst case scenario for the Tribe.

Seattle Mariners

Seattle is the easy answer for potential landing spots for players from Japan. It is the closest MLB city to Ohtani’s home country and has developed a plethora of Japanese players (Ichiro Suzuki, Kenji Johjima, Kazuhiro Sasaki). While going to the Mariners would not make them instant contenders, they can help him develop as they have so many times before.

How it affects the Indians:

As I said, Ohtani doesn’t make Seattle title contenders overnight. But the Indians open their season in Seattle. They could likely be the first MLB team he faces. That unpredictability could trouble the Indians on Opening Day. Adding Ohtani could make the Mariners a Wild Card team. But if the Indians are playing for a Wild Card spot, it is already a disappointing season.

New York Yankees

The Yankees are supposedly the favorites to get Ohtani. Should he go to New York they would likely become the favorites to at least make it to the ALCS. Adding Shohei Ohtani to that pitching staff would make them a nightmare to face in a playoff series.

How it affects the Indians:

None of us have forgotten what unfolded back in October between the Yankees and the Tribe. The Indians struggled to get anything on offense going after Game 2 and the rest is history.

Shohei Ohtani is an immediate upgrade from the aging free agent CC Sabathia. No one would want to face that rotation when they are locked in. There is a good chance that the Indians will have to see the Yankees in the postseason again. Cleveland’s star-studded rotation would have to be at the top of their game to compete with the Yankees.

Cleveland Indians

This probably won’t happen. But because we’re on the subject, it’s worth speaking hypothetically. Shohei Ohtani would likely become the ace to most of his suitors. That would not be the case in Cleveland. In fact he would very likely start as the third man in the rotation behind Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco.

He could work into a two-way player in Cleveland by starting at DH when they decide to give Edwin Encarnacion rest. Adding Ohtani would also give the Tribe arguably the best rotation in baseball. Let your mouth water at the image of Ohtani, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, and Josh Tomlin or Mike Clevinger for a moment.

Okay back to reality. The Indians would have to spend up to $20 million which is the maximum amount for international signing. The Indians only have $10,000 left in bonus money compared to the millions the aforementioned teams have.

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Ohtani likely isn’t coming to Cleveland, and the Indians will have to face him at some point. But they have the sales pitch of becoming World Series favorites with him and letting him play in the same city as LeBron James. So let’s dream about it while we still can. Because we may be playing against him for a shot at the Fall Classic in the near future.