Poll: Ohtani as Rookie of the Year or in the lineup right now?

It is hard to forget the delicious salinity of Yankees fan tears. When Shohei Ohtani took home the coveted American League Rookie of the Year award over Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres, the outrage that flooded social media was something to behold.

But what would it take for you to give it all up — to trade the moral victory that comes with beating out the Yankees or to exchange the blasted dingers and stolen bases and broken records? There are few commodities so precious as the chance to see history in action. A playoff berth, however, might be valuable enough.

Shohei Ohtani did not have any regrets about delaying his Tommy John surgery. As a result of finishing out the 2018 season, Ohtani is scheduled to return some time around early May. While this has been anticipated for some time, a 2-3 month IL trip for Justin Upton was certainly an unwelcome surprise.

Were Ohtani here today, he likely would have slotted in where Bour was hitting the last three games rather nicely and been presented the multiple run-scoring opportunities that Bour failed to take advantage of. Another month of these run-scoring opportunities possibly are going to be wasted without the Japanese slugger. While there is a lot of season remaining, an approximate 30 games without two major bats is a serious situation.

Knowing what you know now, would you sacrifice the AL Rookie of the Year, Yankee salt, August and September enjoyment, and records for Shohei Ohtani in our lineup right this minute?

It would mean dingers. It would mean speed. It would mean wins. It could mean a postseason.

It would also mean that the Darkness won in 2018.

What would you do?