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Over the past few seasons, the San Diego Padres have not been shy in pulling the trigger on trades or free-agent signings that would bring the services of game-changing stars into Petco Park. But can the Padres be the team that ends up shelling out what may be an MLB-record contract for the amazing Shohei Ohtani?
Ohtani, given how elite he is both at the hitting and pitching side of the baseball equation, will surely command an eye-popping figure in free agency. He's only 29 years old as well, so any team that wins his signature will be getting many more years of elite-level production on both sides of the ball.
Still, beyond the fact that Shohei Ohtani is one of the best players, if not the best in the world right now, the Padres make sense as a potential destination for the Japanese international due to three reasons, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post pointed out.
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The first reason is that the Padres have gone star-hunting in recent years, making huge bids for the likes of Trea Turner, Aaron Judge, and Xander Bogaerts, the shortstop they ended up signing. Secondly, owner Peter Seidler hasn't been shy in spending just to field a winning product on the diamond. And third, AJ Preller impressed Ohtani back by memorizing a 15-minute presentation in Japanese when the Los Angeles Angels star was just making his way into league back in 2017.
Those factors certainly work in the Padres' favor, although, as Heyman said, the Los Angeles Dodgers remain the most likely destination for Shohei Ohtani once he hits free agency. It's not a guarantee that Ohtani signs with the Padres anyway even if they make the best offer. Just this past offseason alone, Aaron Judge turned down $55 million in guaranteed money from the Padres just to stay with the New York Yankees.
Nevertheless, just the mere possibility of Ohtani teaming up with the likes of Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Xander Bogaerts will be enough to pique the interest of Padres fans. Now, if only the Padres can figure out their current predicament, as, at the time of writing, they are four games below .500.
