Brewers don’t make Ohtani’s cut

The Milwaukee Brewers did not make the cut with Shohei Ohtani.

The Japanese two-way sensation, the most coveted free agent on the majorleague market this off-season, informed teams Sunday who would move on to face-to-face meetings to make their pitches and who would not. General manager David Stearns confirmed he received word that the Brewers would not move forward to the second round.

“We appreciate the process and wish him the best of luck,” Stearns said.

The Brewers figured they might be long shots to acquire Ohtani, 23, called the “Babe Ruth of Japan” for his slugging prowess and desire to both hit and pitch in the majors. But they didn’t cut corners in submitting a thorough questionnaire to Ohtani and his representatives, the first step in showing interest in signing him.

Ohtani was coveted by all teams because of the relative bargain he represents for a premium free agent. Teams must pay a $20 million posting fee to his Japanese club, the Hikkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, but his signing bonus must come from an international bonus pool, and no club has more than $3.5 million remaining to commit.

That factor put teams on a relatively even financial footing, leaving Ohtani to decide who best fit his other needs and desires.

“Clearly, we’re very interested,” Stearns said after sending the Brewers’ presentation. “I think all 30 clubs, to some extent, are very interested. We submitted our presentation and we think it represented our organization well. As an organization, we have a lot to offer.”

Ohtani is expected to meet with clubs who did make the cut in Los Angeles in the coming days, with a final decision coming before Christmas. Seattle was rumored to be the favorite to sign him.