Shohei Ohtani, despite his injury concerns, is still going to be a highly-sought after free agent during the offseason. Teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Seattle Mariners have all been linked to the superstar. The New York Yankees and New York Mets will also certainly be mentioned as possible suitors. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal revealed the chances of the two New York ball clubs signing Ohtani, via Foul Territory.
Yankees, Mets chances of signing Shohei Ohtani
“That's not really the mode in which they've (Yankees) operated,” Rosenthal said. “Now they've done it twice. They did it for (Gerrit) Cole and they did it for (Aaron) Judge. I can't say, oh, they don't spend… it's certainly possible (for Yankees to sign Shohei Ohtani). But if you are thinking about this, and you're thinking about Ohtani possibly coming to the east coast… if he is willing to do that, the Mets are going to offer him the most money.
“And if he's willing to come to the east coast it's probably because he wants the most money. So that would obviously point towards the Mets and (Steve) Cohen. I do think both teams will be involved at least to check in, how do you not be? It's Shohei Ohtani… but getting serious about this, I would expect the Mets would be more active in that regard.”
The Yankees and Mets, barring a historic turnaround, will not be in the playoffs in 2023. They both are beginning to shift their focus to 2024. Signing Ohtani won't fix all of their problems though. After all, Ohtani has failed to reach the playoffs with the Los Angeles Angels during the course of his career.
Still, adding Ohtani would energize the fan base and give both ball clubs a shot at playing competitive baseball in October next year. According to Rosenthal, the Mets will be “more active” in an Ohtani free agency pursuit, a statement Yankees fans will not like to hear.
It will be fascinating to see where Shohei Ohtani ultimately lands in free agency.
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