Gordon trade gives Mariners most money to offer Ohtani
The Seattle Mariners may have already been the presumptive favorites to land Shohei Ohtani - and that was before they gained a financial advantage over their opponents.
As part of Thursday's blockbuster trade to acquire Dee Gordon from the Miami Marlins, the Mariners also acquired another $1 million of the Marlins' international bonus pool money - just enough to leapfrog the Texas Rangers, giving the Mariners the most available bonus dollars of the seven finalists for Ohtani's services.
General manager Jerry Dipoto can now hand Ohtani a maximum bonus of $3,557,500 if the Japanese phenom decides to sign in Seattle.
| Team | Available Bonus Space |
|---|---|
| Mariners | $3.557M |
| Rangers | $3.535M |
| Angels | $2.315M |
| Cubs* | $300K |
| Dodgers* | $300K |
| Padres* | $300K |
| Giants* | $300K |
*Teams whose bonus pools are capped at $300,000 and can't acquire more money through trades
(Bonus figures courtesy: MLB Pipeline)
Seattle boosted its bonus pool significantly in the last 24 hours through a pair of trades, including Thursday's acquisition of Gordon. On Wednesday night, Seattle sent its No. 7 prospect, catcher David Banuelos, to the Minnesota Twins for an additional $1 million in international bonus money. The Banuelos trade pushed Seattle's pool over the $2-million mark.
The Los Angeles Angels tried to keep pace with Seattle on Wednesday when they snagged $1 million of bonus funds (also from the Twins) for outfield prospect Jacob Pearson, but they still trail the Mariners and Rangers in that department.
Ohtani reportedly completed his meetings with all seven finalists on Wednesday, though there's no clear timetable for when he'll decide to sign.