Long story but I figured next best thing is helping the handful of fanbases that really wanted him.
At least to the best we can.
The big terms are simple to remember.
$700M over 10 years.
The consequences of this are substantial.
Inflation, interest rates, investing.
You guys are smart enough to know that money grows over time.
The $400M deferral gets paid out over some terms not yet disclosed.
So let’s be conservative again and say $400M over 25 years.
We’re throwing shit at the wall now but it’s the general concept that helps.
It’s probably closer to $10M.
And that doesn’t account for the Dodgers' financial prowess.
That’s my read as a licensed Certified Public Accountant with all the bells and whistles the designation allows.
More cool that we’re just spitballing numbers to grasp a broader talking point about Shohei Ohtani.
The Dodgers aren’t committing $700M over the next 7-years.
This has significant benefits to the luxury tax calculations and cash-on-hand for future deals.
It’s such a slam dunk smart way to do business.
How do the Dodgers do it?
Why are they so much better?
I just want to emphasize that I only heard the Dodgers talk this creatively about their pitch.
Speaking of which, here’s a good path forward for the teams that wanted Shohei.
Exactly 700 words into the blog.
Mets: he didn’t want to be there anyways.
There’s nothing about the front office resources or commitment that should weigh you down.
He didn’t play in New York because he doesn’t want to be in New York.
Does California offer that?
Everyone fought that battle from Day 1 and you guys had the highest barrier to entry.
Move on with the checkbook and be thankful the Braves didn’t orchestrate history’s biggest heist.
Braves:I’ve learned to tolerate the chip Braves fans hang on their shoulder.
But realistically you’ve got the option to’t tell me this would happen with a straight face.
That’s Manchester City levels of corrupt roster building.
I’d need the NBA to step in and veto the deal based on competitive balance.
They need healthy pitching and upon inspection, Shohei isn’t that guy right now.
You’d be better off spending the $700M on the next 10 impact players under 22.
God knows you got them.
Cubs:Kinda sucks/really sucks when you need dominant starting pitching and power left-handed hitting in the long run.
Kinda sucks when you have an app that Japan would devour for $240/year starting tomorrow.
The chance to be on Mt.
Rushmore with MJ and the guy who saved a world class city from a decade of sports irrelevance.
So path forward involves the hardest step, which is getting over the pain.
I have a lot of it in my heart right now and the path forward starts with cleansing it.
Tall fuckin task considering Shohei checks so many boxes.
But we need to get over him.
That’s step one.
After that we need to be extremely creative over a 2-3 year window.
Don’t sign guys past the Hoerner/Happ extensions unless their last name is Yamomoto.
Letting either go would be so stupid no matter how displeased you are with their lack of October success.
There’d be no middle ground as I would expect both players to feel the same way.
So maybe in some fucked up sense you guys dodged a bullet.
Angels: Fuck off.
Mariners: Be honest.
You only thought this was possible because or Ichiro.
Some tea leaves that there’d be money.
Some rumors that it was part of the future.
But realistically your owners would never commit to that contract.
Your front office would never make such a substantial bet.
It’s completely uncharacteristic but for the Ichiro conntection.
Which brings me back to my original point: stop it.
The biggest contract in the history of sports will not be decided by childhood fandom.
He wants to compete at the highest level and he wants to be the absolute best his talent allows.
The path forward here means overpaying for good pitching and leading subsequent offseason’s with authority.
Also, maybe bring Buster Posey back.
That guy was awesome.
Maybe even a hall of famer?
I say yes but I don’t think 1st ballot.
Really hard case to argue.
Maybe some other time.
For now I hope you guys are feeling better about the Shohei news.
Bright side is no more Angels.
That’s a great thing.
