Shohei Ohtani Rumors: Majority of MLB Players Polled Believe Dodgers Land Star This Offseason
In a recent poll conducted by The Athletic, MLB players gave their takes on many different topics such as expansion, new rules and upcoming free agency. Fans of the Dodgers should be interested in what the players had to say about where Shohei Ohtani could land this offseason.
Out of the 96 players who were asked, “Which team do you think Shohei Ohtani will be playing for next season?” over 57% of them answered the Dodgers.
Players believe Shohei Ohtani will stay on the West Coast next season — just not with the Angels.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 20, 2023
“The Mets and Padres will get in a bidding war and the Dodgers will swoop in," one AL player tells The Athletic.
More in our 2023 player poll ??https://t.co/gU92fsE8vh pic.twitter.com/MeaH48E2pv
The next closest team that players think has a chance of landing Ohtani is the Angels. The Halos collected 11.4% of the vote and are trying to do whatever they can to retain their star player.
The Dodgers have been linked to Ohtani after not spending big this past offseason. Experts believe that Los Angeles is saving up money to make a big splash in this year’s free agency class.
People are expecting that the two-way player could earn a contract upwards of $500 million, a price tag the Dodgers can afford.
Players who took the survey gave their opinions on the Dodgers’ chances of landing the Japanese superstar.
“Who has the most money?” one pitcher asked. An AL player we spoke to had it all gamed out: “The Mets and Padres will get in a bidding war and the Dodgers will swoop in.”
via The Athletic
This wouldn’t be the first time the Dodgers have come in at the last second to secure a big-time superstar to come to the team. In the 2021 offseason, the Dodgers landed Freddie Freeman just hours after it was announced that the first baseman was close to a deal with the Padres.
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