Shohei Ohtani rumors

Shohei Ohtani is now a free agent. MLB.com is protecting monitor of the newest information and rumors surrounding the two-way famous person.

Nov. 7: Newest predictions for Ohtani’s touchdown spot
With at the least eight groups anticipated to be bidding on his providers, it could possibly be some time earlier than we all know the place Ohtani shall be taking part in in 2024 and past. However that isn’t stopping MLB insiders and writers from providing up their prognostications.

Right here’s a recap of among the newest predictions we’ve seen:

• In a ballot of 58 MLB.com voters, the Dodgers have been the overwhelming decide for Ohtani’s subsequent group, with the Giants ending a distant second. 
• In MLB Commerce Rumors’ annual story working down the Prime 50 free brokers of the offseason and offering predictions on contracts and touchdown spots for every participant, all three MLBTR writers predicted that Ohtani will land with the Dodgers. MLBTR’s collective contract prediction for Ohtani is 12 years, $528 million, which might shatter the MLB document.
• Over on FoxSports.com, three of the 4 employees writers additionally guessed the Dodgers as Ohtani’s vacation spot, whereas the opposite picked the Giants.
• The Athletic’s Jim Bowden (subscription required) foresees Ohtani signing with the defending World Collection-champion Rangers, with the Dodgers and Mariners ending because the runners-up within the race to land the two-way famous person.

It’s also possible to depend ESPN’s Buster Olney amongst those that view the Dodgers because the favorites to signal Ohtani. Olney heard from an individual within the Dodgers group that president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is “obsessed” with Ohtani and can do what it takes to place the membership to land the 29-year-old.

In accordance with MLB Community insider Jon Heyman, the Dodgers’ choice to not make a qualifying supply to designated hitter J.D. Martinez was at the least partially motivated by Ohtani’s free company.

Martinez had success for Los Angeles on a one-year, $10 million deal in 2023, producing 33 homers and 103 RBIs in 113 video games. However the membership did not need to threat him accepting the QO, which might have tied up the DH spot for 2024 at a time when Ohtani continues to be obtainable. Heyman notes that the Dodgers can be focused on bringing Martinez again if they’re unable to land Ohtani.

Nov. 6: Might Ohtani’s choice come early in free company?
Free company opened on Monday, and which means one factor above all else: The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes have begun. His choice on the place to play subsequent season is the plain prime story of the offseason. Nonetheless, there’s a probability that the choice may come comparatively quickly.

It appears unlikely that Ohtani will signal within the very close to future; MLB Community insider Jon Paul Morosi mentioned Monday that he does not anticipate a deal to return collectively throughout this week’s Basic Managers Conferences. And we might not hear a lot from his illustration for some time.

“The phrase I hold listening to is that [Ohtani] desires to maintain issues fairly low key because the offseason goes alongside,” Morosi mentioned. “And truthfully, Aaron Choose took a really comparable strategy to final offseason.”

For comparability’s sake, the reviews of Choose’s nine-year, $360 million settlement with the Yankees first broke on Dec. 7. The contract was finalized on Dec. 20.

Nov. 6: Might Ohtani prime $500 million?
Ohtani’s free-agent inventory took a success when the two-way famous person suffered a tear in his UCL that required surgical procedure and can hold him off the mound till 2025. Nonetheless, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand thinks that Ohtani’s offensive worth alone shall be sufficient to land him the biggest free-agent deal in MLB historical past.

Aaron Choose set a free-agent document when he signed a $360 million cope with the Yankees final offseason. Ohtani’s offensive profile compares favorably to that of Choose, and the prospect that he’ll in the future pitch once more may end in a contract of round $400 million in assured cash, with incentives that would carry his deal north of $500 million, Feinsand writes.

Nov. 5: 8 potential suitors for Ohtani
There are quite a lot of impactful free brokers on the market this 12 months, however there’s clearly nobody who can match up with Shohei Ohtani. His journey by means of free company would be the story of the offseason. The place will he find yourself? Most likely with one in all these eight groups as recognized by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. Extra >

Nov. 3: Dodgers are nonetheless ‘favorites’ for Ohtani (report)
The Los Angeles Dodgers are nonetheless believed to be the favorites for Shohei Ohtani, per a brand new report from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, talking on the Foul Territory podcast.

Whereas Ohtani gained’t be capable of pitch till 2025 on the earliest, Rosenthal says that the Dodgers “want” Ohtani due a wide range of causes, starting from a scarcity of postseason accolades to malaise throughout the fan base.

That reasoning additionally strains up with a current report from ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, who wrote in ESPN+ (subscription required) that Dodgers possession was “extremely motivated” to land Shohei Ohtani previous to the postseason, and their early playoff exit by the hands of the upstart D-backs might solely escalate Los Angeles’ need to land him.

The Dodgers arguably want to deal with their beginning rotation above all else this offseason, and Ohtani gained’t assist in that space subsequent season after present process elbow surgical procedure in September. However the big-budget membership might have the room so as to add a number of starters and nonetheless go after Ohtani this offseason.

As Gonzalez notes, the Dodgers seem to have a ton of payroll flexibility transferring ahead — Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are the one gamers on the roster signed to assured offers past 2025.

Nov. 3: Ohtani sweepstakes could possibly be a 10-team race
Whereas each group would profit from including Ohtani in free company, not each membership has the funds to signal him. ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez (subscription required) thinks Ohtani’s market could be narrowed right down to 10 groups: the Angels, Dodgers, Giants, Purple Sox, Cubs, Mets, Yankees, Mariners, Rangers and Blue Jays.

The Dodgers have lengthy been thought-about one of many favorites for Ohtani, and Gonzalez reviews that possession was “extremely motivated” to signal him even earlier than their early postseason exit.

The Giants will “undoubtedly be among the many prime bidders for Ohtani” as nicely, Gonzalez writes, as they proceed to hunt a famous person to construct round after falling brief on Aaron Choose and backing out of a reported cope with Carlos Correa final offseason.

And although the Mets’ summer time trades of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer advised that the group would take a step again to reset for 2025, Gonzalez believes that proprietor Steve Cohen “is “going to make an enormous effort to safe Ohtani.”

The Purple Sox, in the meantime, are a darkish horse on this race. It is unclear if Boston’s possession is keen to spend what it’ll take to land Ohtani after beforehand transferring on from Mookie Betts and largely avoiding big-budget free-agent strikes through the tenure of former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. However Gonzalez has heard from folks near the two-way famous person that he “has lengthy been intrigued by Boston.”