How Yankees' under-the-radar trade could help land Ohtani
When the New York Yankees acquired Garrett Cooper from the Milwaukee Brewers last July, they were looking for an answer at first base with Chris Carter struggling and Greg Bird injured.
Cooper did fairly well in limited big-league action with New York, hitting .326/.333/.488 with six RBIs in 45 plate appearances before getting injured and ending his season in the minors.
His most important moment for the Yankees, however, might have come Monday when he was traded to the Miami Marlins, along with pitcher Caleb Smith, for pitcher Michael King and $250,000 in international signing bonus pool money.
Yanks acquired 250K in international slot money in marlins deal, moving them to around 3.5M and virtual tie w/texas at top. Ohtani favorite?
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 21, 2017
King's a promising prospect who won 11 games in Single-A last season, but the really interesting part of the trade was the money acquired by the Yankees.
The additional $250,000 puts the Yankees neck-and-neck with the Texas Rangers in terms of international signing bonus money. Each team can now offer around $3.5 million to highly coveted free agent Shohei Ohtani.
The Yankees were already a reported favorite to land the two-way superstar, though Ohtani's still waiting for Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball to complete an agreement on international posting rules before he can decide on his future.
The pitcher-outfielder has made it clear he's not making the move to MLB for the money - otherwise, he could wait two seasons and collect a huge payday when he's no longer restricted by international signing rules. However, the money the Yankees acquired makes them financially about even with the Rangers, and general manager Jon Daniels admitted in October that Texas will make a run at Ohtani if he's posted.
Ohtani hit .332/.403/.540 in Japan last season and pitched to a 3-2 record with a 3.20 ERA in five starts. If $250,000 helps him choose the Yankees over the Rangers, Brian Cashman and New York's front office may want to send Derek Jeter and the Marlins a thank-you card with Cooper's face plastered on the front.