Eh, I still think this was worth doing. I'd like to see him get used as a reliever. Maybe that 89-91 becomes 93-94 in one inning spurts
Hiroto Takahashi was Ogasawara's teammate in the NPB. If Ogasawara has a positive experience and can get over the hump here, it could open the pipeline to NPB players for the Nationals. Takahashi is in a tough position though. He won't be eligible to be posted until the 2028 season. The problem is - his team doesn't ever post people early - so nothing like Roki Sasaki happening for the Nationals or MLB fans that pay attention to the NPB.
Ogasawara was posted by the Chunichi Dragons, however he had nine years service time and was 27 years old at the time of his posting. To be able to post, you have to be 25 years old and have six years of service time in a foreign league. With the timeline Takahashi is on presently (and he does want to come to the US), we're looking at 2028 at the earliest. Can Ogasawara survive that many years?
Takahashi's idol is Yamamoto, however with the stable of arms in LA (and their recent track record of ruining pitchers), maybe Ogasawara having a positive experience could lead the Nationals to one of the top four arms in the NPB. In my opinion, besides Takahashi, Hiroya Miyagi, Shunpeita Yamashi+a and Livan Moinelo are three other aces would could slot at the top of our rotation next to Gore.
Just my two cents.
