Dodgers Rumors: High-Spending Mets Appear To Be Out of Shohei Ohtani Sweepstakes
Despite the great early returns from their deadline haul, the Dodgers are coming off a rather underwhelming trade deadline.
They primarily acquired infield depth and pitching help, but they didn’t get a big splash like Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, or Nolan Arenado.
But ultimately, none of the members of that trio are the grand prize. That title belongs to current Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who’s set to hit free agency at the end of this season.
There are sure to be plenty of suitors for his services — including the Dodgers — and big market, high-spending teams are the franchises that probably have a legitimate chance to land him.
And one of those teams, the New York Mets, may have taken themselves out of the Ohtani chase, based on what former Mets pitcher Scherzer had to say after his trade to the Texas Rangers.
Scherzer has a full no-trade clause in his contract, and he went to the Mets’ front office to gauge their direction for the franchise.
And according to him, his former team seems to be going into a rebuilding phase.
The Mets have a 2023 payroll of just over $344 million per Spotrac, a number that puts them at the top spot in the majors by a significant margin.
Just off their willingness to spend money and a roster that, on paper, could’ve been one of the best in MLB, they would’ve made them contenders to sign Ohtani this winter.
But after a disastrous season has seen them fall out of playoff contention and sell off Verlander, Scherzer, Tommy Pham, and Mark Canha, the Mets look like they won’t be bidding in the Ohtani sweepstakes.
This development clears one hurdle out of the way for the Dodgers as they get set to make a play for the baseball icon this offseason. LA’s been linked to Ohtani for a while now, and the chances for them to bring him to Dodger Stadium may have just gotten a boost.
Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!
