The Seattle Mariners made some savvy moves at the trade deadline this year in an effort to court Japanese star Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani is a two-way player who can both pitch and hit, and the Mariners are hoping to add him to their roster.
The Mariners traded away several key players in order to free up salary cap space and international bonus pool money. They sent starting pitcher Mike Leake to the Arizona Diamondbacks, reliever Alex Colome to the Chicago White Sox, and outfielder Denard Span to the Tampa Bay Rays. In exchange, they received a total of five prospects, including four international bonus slots.
The international bonus slots are key for the Mariners’ pursuit of Ohtani. The Japanese star is subject to international bonus restrictions, so the Mariners need to have enough money to sign him. The four bonus slots they acquired give them a total of $3.55 million to offer Ohtani, which is the most of any team in Major League Baseball.
The Mariners also made some other moves to make themselves more attractive to Ohtani. They signed Japanese outfielder Ichiro Suzuki to a one-year contract, which could help them make a connection with Ohtani. They also hired a new manager, Scott Servais, who has experience working with international players.
The Mariners have made some smart moves at the trade deadline in an effort to court Shohei Ohtani. They have freed up salary cap space and international bonus pool money, and they have made other moves that could make them more attractive to Ohtani. It remains to be seen if these moves will be enough to convince the Japanese star to sign with the Mariners, but it is clear that they are doing all they can to make it happen.
