MLB Rumors: Shohei Ohtani will be the most sought after free agent during this upcoming off-season. His price tag did get reduced due to an unfortunate injury to his ulnar collateral ligament in which he still has not decided whether or not to pursue surgery or not. This puts his pitching status for 2024 in question as well as when he may be able to play as the designated hitter.
With his upcoming free agency one MLB Insider recently listed four teams that could be in position to acquire him. This same Insider believes that the Los Angeles Angels stand a good chance at retaining him should the bidding stay under $500 MM, but should it surpass that then he may be playing in a different organization.
Shohei Ohtani has been linked to the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, and Seattle Mariners should bidding surpass $500 MM (MLB Rumors).
Bob Nightengale listed all four of these west coast teams as contenders should bidding surpass the $500 MM mark. He also believes that the Dodgers are still the favorites to acquire him due to their history of winning and odds at winning a World Series.
The betting favorite continues to be the Dodgers, who are as intrigued by the brand as much as the player, while Ohtani will sit back and listen to the sales pitches.
This isn’t about who offers the most money, rather which provides the greatest opportunity to win a World Series and be a perennial contender.
There are still a lot of unknowns with Shohei Ohtani, so it will be interesting to see what his surgery decision is and how big of a contract he ends up getting.
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