Angels boost cash for Ohtani

The Angels on Wednesday acquired $1 million in international bonus pool money from the Minnesota Twins, money they can now offer to Japanese pitcher-hitter Shohei Ohtani. The 23-year-old has the Angels as one of his seven finalists and met with them this week.

Ohtani opted this winter to come to Major League Baseball, when his possible bonus will be limited to $3.5 million, rather than wait two years for a likely 10-figure payday. So, it’s clear that money is not his only concern. But, over the last week, the Angels have acquired $2.21 million to offer him anyway, desiring to leave no stone unturned.

The cost this time was high, one of the team's top prospects, 19-year-old outfielder Jacob Pearson. In June, the Angels paid the third-round pick a $1 million bonus to forgo a commitment to Louisiana State .

Also Wednesday, Seattle acquired the same amount of money from the Twins for another recent draftee. So, the Mariners remain ahead of the Angels in money to offer Ohtani, while Texas’ available $3.5 million leads all teams. The Dodgers and the three other involved National League teams are limited to offering $300,000.

If Ohtani picks one of the other six clubs, the Angels can deploy the created space on less established international prospects. On Tuesday, they committed $2 million out of their 201819 pool to 17-year-old Venezuelan shortstop Kevin Maitan, a top prospect relinquished by the Atlanta Braves after MLB violations.