With the MLB Winter Meetings set to begin in early December, all eyes remain locked on Shohei Ohtani.
The two-way Japanese superstar and reigning AL MVP is coveted, you'd have to imagine, by all 30 MLB teams. However, not every team meets the criteria that Ohtani is reportedly looking for. As we start to put the pieces of his sweepstakes-like free agency, you can start to piece together a proverbial wishlist for the soon-to-be former Angels sensation.
What exactly does that wishlist look like? There are three things we know:
- Ohtani wants to be in World Series contention
- Ohtani prefers a team that would amplify his marketability
- Ohtani hopes to keep his free agency behind closed doors
While you could argue that the first item is amplified by adding Ohtani, it does stand to reason that he wants to go to a team with star-caliber talent already in place and a front office that is ready to be aggressive. In terms of the front office, though, the third item indicates the need for a cohesive internal group that can be tight-lipped about proceedings.
So now that we have that established, which teams fit these criteria and should be considered frontrunners? Sorry, Yankees and Mets -- you didn't make the cut. But these five teams certainly did.
Shohei Ohtani Rumors: SF Giants will try with all their might
If there's one thing that we know with absolute certainty, it's that the San Francisco Giants are going to try their damnedest to get Shohei Ohtani.
President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi has not been shy about taking an aggressive approach in both free agency and the trade deadline, even if he's come up empty more often than not. Just look at last offseason when the Giants went full-bore after Aaron Judge, only for him to essentially use San Francisco as leverage to return to the Yankees. Throw in the Carlos Correa debacle, and you see how things have been going.
But the Giants are clearly in the mix to go after Ohtani as they search desperately for star-power. They will certainly have to be more tight-lipped in this case than they were in regards to Judge, but the pursuit of a star and whatever it takes to achieve that seems like the utmost importance to the organization, so they would do what it takes.
The big question for the Giants in relation to Ohtani's wishlist would be if they are positioned to compete for a World Series. With the young talent headlined by Logan Webb in the rotation in addition to budding stars like Patrick Bailey, there's an argument to be made that the reigning AL MVP could be the player to get them over the hump. However, the uncertainty around that is why they come in as the bottom of this list of frontrunners.
Shohei Ohtani Rumors: Red Sox can't be ruled out just yet
It's not been the past two seasons that Boston Red Sox fans have come to expect from the proud franchise since the turn of the new millennium. After missing the playoffs the past two years (and frankly not being all that close), the organization elected to make a big change, replacing Chaim Bloom as Chief Baseball Officer in the front office with Craig Breslow.
All indications are that Breslow is primed and empowered to be aggressive in his first offseason as the top decision-maker in Boston. And there would be no more obvious way to indicate that or show the results than for Shohei Ohtani to end up wearing a Red Sox jersey come Opening Day of the 2024 season.
This isn't pie-in-the-sky hope either. MLB insider Jon Heyman reported in early October that the Red Sox are "a real threat" to sign Ohtani this offseason. While some have speculated that the presence of Mastaka Yoshida could hinder Boston in their pursuit, the club's connection the New Balance, who have an endorsement deal with Ohtani, the two-way star's affinity for Fenway Park, the market of Boston, and the upside of the Red Sox if the right resources are put forth all make the club a favorable destination.
Because of the recent lack of success, much like the Giants, my one concern would be that the Red Sox don't offer the obvious contention as a team right now that Ohtani is looking for. They also, however, aren't that far away, especially if they upgrade pitching, as is the noted plan for this offseason. As such, they should very much be considered in the running.
Shohei Ohtani Rumors: Rangers have a compelling case to make
Want to win a World Series, Shohei Ohtani? Well, how about joining the most recent champions, the Texas Rangers? Seems like that would make a lot of sense.
That's the pitch that Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer, who the club acquired at this past year's trade deadline, put out on the airwaves while appearing on MLB Network's Foul Territory this week. There's nothing like winning, and the Rangers just got done doing plenty of it and would do even more with Ohtani in the fold.
Scherzer might be downplaying the financial aspect of this, but don't let that make you think that Texas isn't prepared to pay. We've seen this organization empty their pockets in big ways over the past few offseasons as they've landed Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and most recently Jacob deGrom, who hardly affected their World Series run after undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier in the year.
On top of that, the market for the Rangers is underrated. The DFW is a massive market and we've obviously seen that in other sports with the likes of the Dallas Cowboys. The Rangers are also in Arlington and could very well tap into that with Ohtani.
The more buzz you start to hear about the Rangers and Ohtani, the more reasonable of a landing spot Texas starts to look like. Crazy what winning the franchise's first World Series can do, eh?
Shohei Ohtani Rumors: Cubs emerging as a true favorite
There was once a time when the Chicago Cubs were rarely mentioned as a destination for Shohei Ohtani this offseason. They aren't a West Coast team, had struggled a bit prior to the 2023 season and just didn't seem to check the necessary boxes. Things have evolved rather quickly, though, and so has the Cubs-Ohtani situation.
As of late, the Cubs have loosely been called one of the two favorites to sign Ohtani this offseason, including a report that the organization is already preparing a lucrative offer. Now, given that the Japanese superstar is looking for relative secrecy, that might not be in Chicago's favor, but there have also not been any leaks about meetings, figures, or true details -- so we're not thinking that the Cubs are breaking that wishlist "rule" just yet.
For the rest of the items on the wishlist, though, the Cubs check the boxes. Though they faltered late, this was nearly a playoff team out of the National League a year ago. What happens with Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman this offseason could affect their long-term outlook, but the front office has shown a willingness to spend and be a bit aggressive to improve the roster, something that would likely only further increase with the addition of Ohtani.
And the Chicago market is a star-maker. We've seen it time and again that Cubs stars get thrust into the spotlight, especially if they have the unquestionable talent on the diamond to back it up, which we obviously know that Ohtani does. It's looking more and more like there is a lot of merit to the reports that the Cubs are a legitimate leading candidate to win this sweepstakes given all of this.
Shohei Ohtani Rumors: Dodgers remain the most likely landing spot
For as much steam as the Cubs have recently gained, for as much sense as teams like the Rangers, Red Sox and Giants would make as Shohei Ohtani landing spots, the fact of the matter is that the team leading the charge remains the same: the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Going back to a quiet 2022-23 offseason and certainly at the trade deadline this year, we all heard that the Dodgers were remaining patient. Yes, part of that was due to the fact that they were still a 100-win team in the regular season (playoff shortcomings aside), but it was also with the pursuit of Ohtani this offseason in mind. They were gearing up for the big play.
Obviously, we already know that the Dodgers check two of the three wishlist items. Even if LA has come up short in the playoffs the past few years, they are wired for winning and have been doing a lot of that in the 162-game schedule. Moreover, Ohtani has already seen the marketing power of being in Los Angeles, and that's while being a member of the less prominent organization in the city.
Though the Dodgers' interest has been a poorly-kept secret, though, the front office has been able to keep their big moves largely under wraps in terms of the machinations of making them happen. That should be enough to appease Ohtani's desire to keep these proceedings quiet.
At the end of the day, the Dodgers still make the most sense. They clearly check every wishlist item off, are on the West Coast, which was once a preference, and every indication is that they are all-in on getting Ohtani to the Dodgers. It might truly be a case where him signing anywhere other than LA could be considered the upset or surprise option.
