It's not too often that a star of Shohei Ohtani's caliber reaches free agency, triggering a bidding war of unprecedented proportions. After all, Ohtani is as transformative as a player can get in the MLB; not only is he an elite pitcher, he is also one of the best sluggers in the league, giving whatever team that signs him in free agency immense value even as he recovers from the elbow injury that knocked him off the mount to end the Los Angeles Angels' disappointing 2023 season.

Thus, any interested team in Ohtani will be doing whatever it takes to secure the Japanese international's signature. But there's one thing the 29-year old dual threat will be looking for in any prospective suitor to uphold as the bare minimum. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, via Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area, Ohtani will hold it against any team if reports of their meet-up end up becoming public knowledge.

“If there is one thing to know about Shohei Ohtani's free agency, it's that you are unlikely to know much about it until he signs somewhere. If visits between Ohtani and a team are reported publicly, it will be held against the team, so the circles will be tiny and tight,” Passan wrote.

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In today's social media age, it'll be difficult to stop the spread of rumors regarding which teams Ohtani has met with already. But at the very least, the Japanese international's camp will know whether or not the team in question was the one that leaked a meeting, taking into account the timing of a report or the source from which the report came from.

There will be no shortage of suitors for Shohei Ohtani. The usual suspects, such as the big market Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox, will be making a run for him, while the reigning champion Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, and San Francisco Giants also have a chance to secure Ohtani's services. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Angels will be attempting to keep Ohtani as well so they won't just lose him for nothing after deciding to hold onto him past the 2023 MLB trade deadline.