Dodgers Rumors: MLB Insider Thinks Shohei Ohtani Sweepstakes Down to 3 Teams
The impending free agency of Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is on the minds of everyone across the baseball world. It’s something that we haven’t seen in a long time and Ohtani is at the center of the sport. He is the best player in the game today and will command at least, if not more, than $500 million on his next contract from whichever team he decides to sign with. Until then, Ohtani is focused on helping to get the Angels into the postseason but it seems that things may be taking shape for the winter.
MLB insider Jon Heyman says that there are three teams that most around the game see as viable options for Ohtani this winter and the Dodgers are one of them. In addition to LA, Heyman mentions the Angels and the rival San Francisco Giants. It has long been rumored that Ohtani prefers the West Coast, in part due to the proximity to Japan. If this is the case, then it immediately helps the Dodgers in their quest to sign him long-term.
On paper, the Dodgers make the most sense for Ohtani. They can provide him everything that the Angels have and more. They are a mainstay in the postseason and Ohtani has talked about winning being his top priority. Ohtani also wouldn’t really have to move or go learn a new area either. The city of LA is ripe for the taking and he would become arguably the biggest star in town. The Dodgers also cleared their books this offseason with the plan to make an aggressive move to land Ohtani so they could easily fill the financial aspect of the deal. There is a reason why the Dodgers and Ohtani have been linked together for so long.
Now, when looking at the Angels, you can’t count them out. It’s a familiarity aspect for Ohtani that could see him stay. But if winning is his priority then the Angels haven’t shown him that they can do that at all. The franchise has missed the postseason every year since Ohtani joined the team and while they are in contention for a postseason spot right now, will just one year of the playoffs be enough? I’m not so sure. Adding on the fact that the Angels already have some top salaries on their books so bringing on a financial commitment like Ohtani may burden them for years to come.
And finally, the Giants. In reality, if the Dodgers are the leaders for Ohtani right now then I say the Giants are right behind them. They are a young team that is ready to make a splash. San Francisco almost signed Carlos Correa last year and now have that money free to put towards Ohtani. The Giants should be seen as a real threat to land Ohtani as they have positioned themselves in a great way.
“The Giants have the $360M left from the Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa pursuits and are in excellent shape financially (and may be in even better shape with the A’s almost sure to be leaving for Las Vegas).”
Per The NY Post
Nobody knows what Ohtani will do or where he will land but one thing is for sure, it will be a power shifting move. Think LeBron James to Miami back in the day. He has that kind of aura across baseball.
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Up to $120 million is coming off the books if the following players do not come back: Trevor Bauer ($28 million) Kershaw (20) Urias (14.5) Muncy (13) Syndergaard (13) JD Martinez (10) Trienen (8) Hudson (6.5) Peralsta (6.5) several others with less than $2 million each. Of course it would be good to have Kershaw back, with a raise, and maybe Muncy [does he have a contract for next year?] and JD Martinez will deserve a raise [but would be replaced by Ohtani. Will Smith will get a raise in arbitration of about $10 million [his salary is $5 this year]. So there is money to sign Ohtani, likely between $50-80 million [depending on who comes back, what it takes to replace whoever leaves] and stay well under $300 million. Bobby Miller, Sheehan and maybe Pepiot or one of the Tulsa starters can save a lot of cap space. The team is scoring 1/3 more runs per game this year than last, in line with the overall trend in MLB, and is 4th in MLB in runs scored, so the offense is not bad, but the pitching is ghastly, from around the best in baseball last year (and pretty much almost every year for the last 6 or so, along with Houston) to the 22nd this year, giving up about 1.5 runs more per game. Improving pitching is the key. Ohtani would not necessarily be cost-effective for $50 million/year but he would bring in revenue as well as improve the pitching and maybe drive in more runs than JD (who is a bargain this year).
Well if Ohtani would like to be cold for the rest of his contract, by all means go to San Francisco, the city by the bay. It may not be Candlestick but its still a tough place to watch a night game, especially when the fog starts to roll in… Its like perpetually pitching in April and when the wind blows, its almost at hurricane proportions. Yuck… Also, if he decides to play in SF he will have to decide whether he wants to stay a 2 way player, That cold and and wind will make pitching and [laying outfield difficult.