Dodgers Rumors: 2 More Top Competitors Have Dropped Out of Shohei Ohtani Sweepstakes
The offseason of Shohei Ohtani is chugging along, and the Dodgers remain the favorite to land the two-way superstar. While no one knows what Ohtani will do, the list of teams reportedly in on him continues to shrink.
On Wednesday, MLB insider Michael Marino reported that at least two more teams have removed themselves from the running — the Texas Rangers and “at least one team” in the American League East.
The Rangers were considered by some one of the favorites to sign Ohtani, so this is incredible news for the Dodgers that they’re waving the white flag. As for the AL East, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees were both heavily pursuing him, however, it was reported last week that the Yankees didn’t think they had a shot. It’s unclear if Marino is reporting on the Yankees again, or if another team has given up.
Marino did report four teams with confirmed interest — the Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and incumbent Los Angeles Angels. The Cubs and Blue Jays have made a strong push for Ohtani, while the Angels remain unlikely to retain him.
Additionally, on Tuesday, it was reported that the San Francisco Giants would be making a strong push to acquire Ohtani or Yoshinobu Yamamoto. So we can add them to the list of interested teams, too.
That puts us at five teams who are currently making a strong push to sign Ohtani, with the Dodgers remaining the favorite for now. However, no one really knows what Ohtani wants, so we’ll have to continue to anxiously wait for any news on that front.
The Ohtani sweepstakes are getting closer and closer to coming to an end, and the Dodgers’ path to signing him is continuing to get clearer.
Photo Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
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