Best thing to happen this winter: Shohei Ohtani running to LA

As the Yankee 25-man roster takes shape, let's imagine for a moment the grousing across Tampa this week if the famous "Japanese Babe Ruth" had signed this winter - as almost everyone predicted - a Yankee contract.

The "spring of Ohtani" would now be in its fifth week, and everything - like that twin's DNA in outer space - would have changed.

For starters, we would surely not have Giancarlo Stanton. Once the Yankees signed Ohtani, they couldn't add another OF/DH to the mix; they simply would not have enough space. Part of Ohtani's deal was guaranteeing him the chance to pitch and hit, which meant filling the DH slot. So... no Giancarlo. And we'd still have Starlin Castro because - let's face it - after they acquired him, the Marlins couldn't find a taker. So... Starlin at second.

Without Giancarlo, the Yankees would have $20 million more to spend, increasing the odds that Yu Darvish - the Dodgers' "Mr. October" - would be in pinstripes. We'd have outbid the Cubs, and he'd be ours for the next six years, until age 37, at $20 million per (give or take.) Instead of the Twin Titans of  Judge and Stanton, NYC would be agog over the three Samurai - Tanaka, Darvish and Ohtani. But all eyes would be on the Babe, and his every appearance would be an electrifying moment for international diplomacy. 

And this is what we would have seen...

Ohtani at bat: 2 for 20, .100 BA, 1 RBI and 7 K.

Ohtani on the mound: 2 games, 2.2 Innings, 9 hits, 8 earned runs, 27.00 ERA, and 5 K.

Yep... a 2018 spring mixture of Gleyber Torres and Chance Adams.

Less than two weeks before Opening Day, the Yankees would be staring down the barrel of having to dispatch the Japanese Babe to Scranton, despite their promises over the winter. Or they could simply close their eyes and write him in as DH and sixth starter, and to hell with the numbers. Something tells me that, as Chasen Shreve or Billy McKinney were pitched overboard, the Gammonites - and Alphonso - would be growing ever-more restless. Moreover, somebody else would have Stanton, and my guess is that he would be nestled in a lineup of the AL East. Boston, maybe?

The Yankees are still seeking a sixth starter, and who knows what Ohtani will do in LA? It's far too soon to draw conclusions. But for now, we should thank our stars that the Babe wanted to play on the West Coast. It was our luckiest break all winter.