The Los Angeles Dodgers visit the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, marking the PNC Park debut of Shohei Ohtani. Pirates fans watching the three-game series will be left to wonder what might have been had the Pirates landed Ohtani — or at least those fans who remember seven years ago. Say what?
Dodgers Superstar to Make PNC Park Debut, Could’ve Been a Pirate (No, Seriously)
Pirates Tried to Bring Ohtani to Pittsburgh
Don’t laugh. It seems ridiculous today in light of Ohtani having signed for a dollar figure just south of Samoa’s annual gross domestic product. He’s been touted as the greatest player in baseball history. He’s availed himself of endorsement opportunities. Not even a gambling scandal – of which he was found innocent – could derail his popularity or hinder his production. Los Angeles City Council declared May 17 Shohei Ohtani Day for as long as he’s a Dodger. The Baseball Project wrote a song about him.
The Pirates thought they had a legitimate shot at the Japanese superstar when he declared his intention to be posted in time for the 2018 season. Then, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington declared that the Pirates would do “everything in our power” to lure Ohtani to Pittsburgh.
Sandwiches With French Fries
The international signing rules are a rare instance where all teams are on a level playing field, regardless of market size. Under said rules, Ohtani had to enter major league baseball under a minor league contract. The team signing him could pay him a bonus limited to the amount available in its international bonus pool. There would also be a $20 million posting fee. Furthermore, Ohtani preferred to play in a small market, which is as strange as that sounds now. He also stated that his decision wouldn’t be money motivated. He had sent out a questionnaire to all 30 MLB teams about their development processes.
The Pirates had the money. Only three MLB teams had more international bonus pool money available. The Pirates had $2.26 million and likely would have offered the whole load to bring Ohtani to Pittsburgh. Furthermore, Pittsburgh certainly qualifies as a small market. The population of the city proper is just a bit north of 300,000. The metropolitan area has almost 2.5 million people. Huntington hoped to sell Ohtani on the similarities between Pittsburgh and the rural town where he grew up. Ohtani was born in Oshu, a town in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture, whose capital city, Morioka, is situated at the confluence of three rivers, much like Pittsburgh. Then, the Pirates pitcher and passionate Code Orange fan Trevor Williams tried to entice Ohtani with local beer and sandwiches with french fries.*
Dear Mr. Ohtani,
You would be a great fit for the Pittsburgh Pirates! We have IC Light, Primanti Bros, pierogi races, and average to above-average jokes in the clubhouse.
Yinz (?) will love it here in the 412.
Respectfully,
Trevor Williams— Trevor Williams (@MeLlamoTrevor) November 29, 2017
What Might Have Been
Alas, Ohtani rejected the Pirates and the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins, both of which had more international bonus pool money than the Bucs. Of course, he wouldn’t have remained with the Pirates once he reached free agency. No quantities of Iron City Beer or Primanti Brothers sandwiches could have changed that. But six years would have been better than none.
Meanwhile, it’s interesting to speculate how Ohtani would have affected the Pirates during his hypothetical six seasons in Pittsburgh. The table below shows what the Pirates’ records would have been had Ohtani’s WAR been added to their win total. It assumes that he would have replaced a player with a negligible WAR and been able to handle the outfield during the years the designated hitter wasn’t available in the National League.
| Year | Ohtani Pitcher WAR | Ohtani Offensive WAR | Ohtani Total WAR | Pirates Record | Theoretical Record |
| 2018 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 82-79 | 86-75 |
| 2019 | Didn’t pitch | 2.4 | 2.4 | 69-93 | 71-91 |
| 2020 | -0.4 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 19-41 | 20-40 |
| 2021 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 8.9 | 61-101 | 70-92 |
| 2022 | 6.2 | 3.4 | 9.6 | 62-100 | 72-90 |
| 2023 | 3.9 | 6.0 | 9.9 | 76-86 | 86-76 |
Ohtani’s presence would have turned the Pirates into contenders in 2018 and propelled them to the postseason in 2023. The dismal years of 2021-22 wouldn’t have been as dismal. Who knows, he may have saved Huntington’s job, and the Pirates wouldn’t have gone into rebuilding mode for 2020-22.
The Last Word
Now Ohtani is part of a powerful Dodgers lineup that includes Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, and Will Smith. It almost seems unfair. The 2024 season was supposed to be less a pennant race and more a coronation of this Dodgers team. However, the Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and even the surprising Cleveland Guardians will have something to say about this.
For now, the Dodgers must get past the Pirates’ triumvirate of hot young pitchers Jared Jones, Paul Skenes, and Bailey Falter. The Pirates will also have to support their pitchers with offense and defense in this series. The teams play on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. All eyes should be on Pittsburgh this week to see how these Pirates pitching phenoms fare against the great Ohtani.
*”Yinz” is Pittsburghese for the plural “you.” Pittsburghers are often referred to as “yinzers.” Coming from one Pittsburgher to another, it’s a term of endearment. Coming from an outsider, it’s an insult. Consider yinz warned.
Main Photo Credits: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
