The best positioned teams to sign Shohei Ohtani: Dodgers, Giants, Mets...
MLB’s coming free-agency period could well be one of the most watched in a long long time. Of course, the most intriguing case is that of the Japanese star.
It has been the biggest question in baseball for some time now: Who will sign Shohei Ohtani? With the World Series now behind us, it’s time to take a look at the teams who are favored to get the Japanese megastar to put pen to paper.
What’s the deal with Shohei Ohtani’s free agency?
The World Series is now over and with that, it’s time to focus on more important things, like the future of Los Angeles Angels superstar, Shohei Ohtani. At 29 years old, Ohtani is as big an influence on the field as he is off it which is to say he is a global icon. While he recently underwent surgery on his elbow which will likely see him unable to pitch until 2025, the reality is that won’t stop him from landing the most lucrative contract in MLB history, with the general consensus being that the deal will exceed $500 million. When considering the idea that across his career he’s posted a 148 OPS+ and a 145 ERA+, it’s not exactly surprising.
The question, however, is what team is going to make the biggest signing we’ve seen in many years? While there is no definitive answer available at this time, there are a handful of teams that have been heavily linked with Ohtani, and one in particular appears to be the favorite over everyone else. Whether that’s the way this all plays out remains to be seen, but let’s take a look at the teams that are currently in the running to sign baseball’s best player.
The Los Angeles Dodgers
If you’ve been following, then you should know that the Dodgers have been after Ohtani for quite some time. Indeed, assuming they make a move for the two-way sensation, this will be the third time that they do so, having even tried to sign him as an amateur. “Every time we talked to someone that had seen him, the conversations had a little bit (more) life to them than typical,” former Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said at the time. “We knew it was real. We knew he was real.”
Aside from the obvious interest, there is also the way in which the franchise has managed its finances in recent seasons. Quite frankly, the Dodgers have spent next to nothing since last offseason, evidenced by the fact that they have not signed or traded for a single player with a guaranteed contract for the 2024 season. When you consider that idea, it seems to suggest that their saving up for an all-out pursuit of Ohtani when free agency opens in the coming days.
The San Francisco Giants
It may seem strange to include a team that’s coming off of a second straight season of disappointment. The obvious question would be how could such a team convince a player of Ohtani’s stature to join them when the reason he wants to leave the Angels is because he’s had enough of losing? Yet, according to reports, that’s exactly the case. “They’re surely desirous of a big star after failing to land Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper, and Aaron Judge,” one report stated. “There is one issue: folks wonder if Ohtani would sign up for a ballpark tough on left-handed hitters.”
Again, this one is a bit difficult to fathom in that it’s widely understood that Ohtani wants to sign for a contender, but with the apparent budget that’s available in the Bay, it would be reasonable to assume that the Giants could acquire more than just Ohtani. Indeed, one has to imagine that such a player would attract other top-tier talent. This is all to say, keep an eye on this one as stranger things have happened before in MLB.
New York Mets
With the kind of spending that we’ve seen in New York over the past seasons, it would be silly not to include them in the mix. On the other hand, like the Giants above, the Mets are fresh off of yet another disappointing campaign, meaning that the strength of their position as a potential contender has got to be diminished significantly in Ohtani’s eyes. Yet, with the backing of the extremely deep pockets of owner Steven Cohen, the Mets certainly have the financial clout to bring Ohtani to the ‘Big Apple.’
With that said, it remains highly likely that Ohtani will place the potential to win a title over a payday. The Dodgers won the World Series as recently as 2020 and remain a team that consistently makes it to the postseason. The Mets on the other hand, last won a title in 1986 and were out of the playoff picture before September. Add to that the fact that Ohtani has generally prioritized the west coast as his preferred destination and it seems all but impossible. Of course, as stated before, stranger things have happened.