Rumor Central: Mets open to pursuing Shohei Otani?

The New York Mets could be joining the long list of teams interested in Japanese two-way star Shohei Otani.

Marc Carig and David Lennon of Newsday report the Mets are "weighing a pursuit" of Otani because the new bidding rules "will leave him within their financial reach."

While any team landing the 23-year-old Otani would require a $20 million posting fee to the Nippon Ham Fighters, international spending limits would cap Otani's signing bonus at around $3.5 million on top of a minor league deal.

With the Mets looking to bring their payroll down to around $155 million, the limits on Otani's compensation could make him affordable.

The Newsday report cautions that the Mets are still a long shot…