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Yankees advisor Matsui expects to be involved in recruitment of Ohtani

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The New York Yankees may bring in a person of Godzilla-sized proportions to help in their pursuit of Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani.

Former Yankees player and current special advisor to general manager Brian Cashman, Hideki Matsui, expects to be involved in the recruitment process if New York decides to pursue Ohtani.

"If he's allowed to come here and the Yankees are interested, then I expect to be involved in that process as maybe trying to convince him or recruit him to the Yankees," Matsui recently told MLB.com's Deesha Thosar through a translator.

The Yankees have been linked to the 23-year-old pitcher/outfielder, with a National League executive recently telling FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman that New York is the favorite to land the two-way superstar.

Matsui, a legend in his own right in Japan who came to the Yankees before the 2003 season and spent seven years in the Big Apple, has watched Ohtani play on television and likes what he sees.

"As far as I've seen, he's a good pitcher and he's a good hitter as well," Matsui said through a translator. "He's done well in Japan, so as a baseball fan I'm looking forward to how he's going to do here in the majors and in the U.S."

Ohtani awaits the conclusion of negotiations between Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball in regards to the international posting system - which is currently unresolved - before he can make a decision on playing in North America.

MLB's Player's Association has until Monday to resolve the issue, according to a recent report.

Ohtani spent 2017 with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, hitting .332/.403/.540 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs in 231 plate appearances. He also pitched to a 3-2 record with a 3.20 ERA during five starts.

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