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The San Francisco Giants are expected to be real players in the Shohei Ohtani Sweepstakes. It isn't just that the Giants might be one of the few teams that can afford to pay Shohei Ohtani a historic contract. There are indications that the Los Angeles Angels star would have real interest in going to the Bay Area.
The Giants pursued Ohtani in free agency six years ago when he left Japan for MLB. While Ohtani considered signing with San Francisco, he would've had a difficult time being a pitcher and a hitter in the National League because the NL didn't have a DH at the time.
Bobby Evans was the Giants' general manager in 2017. Evans felt that Ohtani was hesitant to sign in San Francisco because he wouldn't be able to DH in between his starts on the mound. The universal DH has removed that impediment, potentially increasing the chances that Ohtani will play for an NL team.
“My perception was we were a very intriguing option for him,” Evans told The Athletic.. “It would be interesting if he could have picked a National League club, who would he have picked at that time? He might not want to disclose that. But I would say the fact we were one of the seven finalists bodes well.
“I felt the process was legitimate and fair. I have no sour grapes. We made our best effort. And I appreciated the fact he had an open mind. A lot of teams that put together presentations and didn’t get in the door, which I’d have to believe was an even worse feeling.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers are thought to represent the biggest threat to sign Ohtani in free agency. The NL West rivals could have a bidding war for the best player in baseball this winter.
