As the ongoing free agency of Shohei Ohtani continues to hold up the remainder of the free agent and trade markets, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports that the two-time American League MVP is expected to make a decision on his free-agent destination before the end of the weekend.
Ohtani’s free agency has, by design, been shrouded in secrecy. He and agent Nez Balelo of CAA Sports have worked to keep rumors of his potential destination under wraps, and many clubs have reportedly been wary of leaking information or commenting on Ohtani’s free agency in any capacity, for fear that it may hurt their chances of signing him.
Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts bucked that trend yesterday by announcing that his team recently hosted Ohtani for a meeting at Dodger Stadium and stating the obvious: that Ohtani is the Dodgers’ top priority. There’s been plenty of hand-wringing among Dodger faithful that Roberts’ comments harmed the team’s chances, though Morosi said in an appearance on MLB Network this morning that he does not see “in any way” that Roberts’ acknowledgment of what everyone already knew would serve as a deterrent to getting a deal done. It’d indeed be rather surprising if Ohtani’s decision on where he’ll play the next 10 to 13 seasons at a likely price tag north of $500MM were substantially impacted by a team’s manager simply acknowledging interest that has been anticipated for more than a year.
As it stands, the Dodgers are definitively known to have met with Ohtani. Reports this week indicated that the Blue Jays and Giants were also likely to have held sitdowns with the two-way star — the Jays at their spring complex in Dunedin, Fla. and the Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The incumbent Angels are also believed to be in the mix still. Last night, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer vehemently refuted reports that his own club’s optimism of landing Ohtani had “significantly waned.” It’s not known when or whether the Cubs hosted a meeting of their own with Ohtani, but Hoyer’s comments keep the door open for them as well.
Whether there are any darkhorse clubs who’ve managed to keep their involvement entirely off the radar is unclear, though that possibility can’t be discounted, given the nature of Ohtani’s free agency and the sheer demand an unprecedented talent like this has created. The Red Sox, Mets and Rangers were all involved early on in the process, but they’ve since appeared to shift their attention elsewhere after falling behind in the bidding.
If Ohtani indeed makes his decision in the next 96 hours or so (give or take), that would in all likelihood set the stage for the proverbial offseason floodgates to open. None of the reported finalists has been willing to make a significant move until learning whether they’ll be the team to ultimately reel in Ohtani. As such, that’s directly impacted the market for names like Yoshinobu Yamamoto (presumably a target of all finalists in the Ohtani bidding), top free agent bats like Cody Bellinger (a potential Giants, Jays or Angels target if Ohtani goes elsewhere) and even trade candidates like Tyler Glasnow and Shane Bieber, whose teams surely want to gauge interest from the runners-up in the Ohtani bidding.
Yomiuri Giants
I would laugh my #alls off if by some miracle the Rockies overpaid the one armed wonder.
600ft moon shots at Coors field. Would be quite a show.
Quite the Sho, indeed
“overpaid the one armed wonder”. Way to finish off your joke, Dick.
This is like a tooth extraction, hurry up & get it over with…
If I were a team shelling out that kind of money for him, I would try to do a 5 yr/$350-400M deal more than I would a 10 yr/$500-600M deal. If you’re going to shell out that kind of money, you might as well pay $70-80M/yr for his best 5 years (theoretically) than pay $50-60M/yr and be forced to pay that enormous amount for his declining years at the end of the deal.
No idea if he would bite, though a $80M/yr shorter deal would have to be tempting.
You are a smart man. I would support you for the GM of my California Angeles.
If I were a team I would offer a deal where you pay him $35-$40 mil a year to be a hitter and $1 mil per start as a pitcher. A full season for a starter is around 30 starts.
$50 mil for next season, $75 mil for the next 2 with a player opt-out. Wouldn’t doubt he sees $100 a season if they put in a starts and innings clause. Meet the new Steve Majors, The $600 Million Man.
@RayKingsThickThighs
My TEAM! Let’s go Giants!
“Ohtani returns to Japan” would be the funniest headline ever
Shohei turns 30 next year. I know it’s fun to view the circus of free agency, esp at the level of Shohei, but to throw out the comment of “where he’ll play the next 10 to 13 seasons” is absolutely ridiculous.
To make a statement that a player is going to be paid $500M (and some pundits throw out the insane $650M figure) during his 30-43 aged years tells us that whomever is going to make this signing is more than likely tanking their franchise down the road.
These contracts rarely pan out after the first 3-4 seasons and from Stanton to Tatis Jr.,, depending on health, this could be the worst of them all.
Shohei is a once in a generation talent, yes that is correct, and a great ambassador for the game. Awesome. BUT remember: it’s about the name on the front of the jersey though, not the back. Same was said about Trout years ago and now that contract looks like an albatross. Pujols. Cabrera. Teams never learn.
People point to the Seager 10-year $325M contract, but remember Seager was 27 when he signed that deal and I would argue $325M is much easier to manage than $500-$600M. Plus they signed an anchor SS. Hats off to the Rangers though as that’s one of the few longer term deals that may pan out. So it’s not impossible.
The lengths of todays type of contracts are for that type of length. Time to get your head out of the smoke.
I have no idea what that comment means. Yes, today’s contracts are way too long. Clubs are still handing them out when the ROI shows very little return after years 3 or 4. That’s my point.
On the flip side of your argument is the name on the back of the jersey brings in a ton of more money for the name on the front. No other player in baseball can bring in as much money for the organization solely based off his name than Ohtani. Whatever team wins should be using that extra money to improve the overall team.
You’re assuming that team will win when $50-$60M is given to one player (numbers obviously are speculative). The Dodgers are about the only team that can withstand that kind of top-heavy imbalance and still win. Tey’re deep enough.
The Angels weren’t even close and were the poster child of top-heavy mismanagement.
Approximately $20 Million bump in advertising and attendance.
Angels have had the lineups decimated with injuries, hard to win when Duffy or cabbage is the cleanup guy behind ohtani.
You are right the Dodgers did not have any injuries last year…
Here’s the problem with your analysis– Ohtani is not like any other player. He generates $50M a year in extra revenue from Asia. Suddenly he becomes a bargain. You can’t judge what he gets paid like you would Trout or anyone else… he generates money that warrants the paycheck.
is that revenue only for the team that signs him or shared revenue?
Hey carl. The problem with his revenue generating ability is first, it doesn’t get subtracted from the luxury tax line so penalties are likely to offset some of that benefit. And second, if Ohtani can’t pitch at his usual level after a second TJ surgery and is therefore relegated to DH and maybe a platoon in the field somewhere, a lot of that extra revenue might dry up. That’s the problem with paying for past performance like with Pujols, Hamilton, Rendon, etc. It’s especially risky with Ohtani considering we already know he can’t pitch until 2025 to even know if his recovery will be successful. Paying for a pitcher who can’t prove he can still pitch for over a year is a poop sandwich but some team will take a bite.
He didn’t have TJ surgery that anyone knows of. His agent said it was not TJ. So we are left to wonder. You know who is not wondering? The teams that are looking to sign him. They have medicals in hand.
Hey Pads – I refer to 2 TJ surgeries because a couple of weeks ago, someone on MLB Channel slipped up and referred to his most recent procedure as “Tommy John” surgery. I’ve never heard of an alternate surgery to TJ to fix a torn UCL either. So I think it is safe bet that it was probably a 2nd TJ surgery.
100% that Shohei brings in international revenue. I’ve seen the $50M figure and highly question that much reaches the actual ball club. Maybe in his heyday. At 35? Only half way through the contract? Don’t think he’s pulling that kind of revenue.
I think MLB in general has terribly mismanaged Shohei’s appeal. He should have signed with a global powerhouse like Nike. New balance? WTF.
Carl, I signed up an account here tonight just to say you have the best name on here! I wonder how many others know it.
How long is he worth that much money though? He’s probably not going to be worth $50 million when he’s 35 and his production has dropped, and younger Japanese stars like Roki Sasaki are in MLB..
Stormie, you’re right. The ANgels should have traded him two-years ago and loaded up their franchise with talent. Even at the trade deadline Tampa Bay offered them four players including a third base stud, Junior Caminero, who would have played the position for 10-years and is only 20 and currently listed as the #6 prospect in all of baseball– they even turned that down. I think Ohtani goes to the Dodgers and that will be good for the Angels. They can’t just rely on Ohtani any longer. They can spend that $600M to get Teoscar Hernandez, Rhys Hoskins, Tim Anderson, Jordan Montgomery, Ryu, Marcus Stroman, and Josh Hader and still have money left over. You tell me which Angels team will be better?
The fact you know– thrills me. That’s capital L, small A, capital F, small O, small N, small G! LaFong!
The Angels team post Arte Moreno!
Hey PROV356, Brock Purdy tore his UCL and didn’t have surgery. He’s currently the best QB in the league, stats-wise.
hey 77 – Merry Christmas. I know guys try to recover with plasma shots and other non-surgical techniques. Sometimes it works and sometimes it just delays the inevitable. However, if someone gets surgery, I only know of Tommy John surgery to fix a torn UCL. I am not a doctor so all I know is what an average baseball fan knows about it.
It’s not tommy John his doctor described the procedure, and one of the few to do it. It’s the same as what Brock purdy had done. Didn’t have anything in the inside repaired just reinforced it on the outside.
Interesting Rex- Thanks for the info. Must be kinda proprietary maybe.
I can pull it up if you want
@prov356
Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache operated Tuesday at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. He said in a statement that the sides decided to “reinforce the healthy ligament in place,” suggesting the UCL wasn’t reconstructed via Tommy John surgery. ElAttrache also performed Tommy John surgery on Ohtani on Oct. 1, 2018.
He’s also the same doctor that did Rodgers Achilles surgery.
Wasn’t sure if I could post the link, but he’s pretty much the new dr. James Andrews. My guess is ohtani could have a second tommy John and still be in the clear usually the third one is the end of the road.
With all due respect to Corey Seager, he does not have the same ability to sell merch, put bums in seats, and occupy the kind of spotlight that generates international fandom from outside of baseball. Whatever he signs for will be a fraction of the ROI.
I don’t disagree. But are we measuring success for the MLB club on international fandom or winning a World Series?
Arte, sit down, we know your answer already. We”ve seen it for years.
@nukeg Semien has been significantly more valuable than Seager (13.1 to 10.8 bWAR) over the last two seasons, since Texas signed both, and at 25m per over 7 years, compared to 32.5m over 10 years.
Talk about no respect.
Semien’s even beaten him since 2018 by a whopping 33.4 to 19.9 bWAR.
Seager is in Semien’s shadow. He’s the dwarf, to the man.
Yes Semien is a stud. There was never a dig at Semien. I just chose Seager as a talking point as he was the poster boy World Series MVP.
Trout had an injury burdened 2023 season. He seems to be fully healthy in 2024 and if he is, I expect another great season of him challenging for the AL MVP. Trout’s biggest issue is not his performance, it is his health. Furthermore, trout being an icon for the team and city of anaheim puts fans in the seats, which is ultimately the goal of them team. If I was an angels fan I would be very happy with this deal. If you want to talk about an albatross of a contract, that would be the angel over at 3rd base.
Or he can age like Ortiz and Thome. Miggy was a party animal who let himself go. Pujols, who knows how old he really was. By the time he got tonthe Angels he moved like he was catching for 20 years.
Believe it or not I think it will be an under the radar team The Seattle Mariners! They have continued to make deals that are basically shedding payroll and their payroll is the lowest it has been in 6 years right now! They covit Japanese players and were devastated when he signed with the Angels 6 years ago!
There is no way this world figure is going to small market Seattle– impossible. Makes no sense on any level. They’ve been to the playoffs once in 20-years. Their location forces them to travel further than any other team. It’s such a small city with little media coverage. No, he will either stay with the Angels or jump on board with the Dodgers. BTW… Seattle cannot take on his $50M salary and then continue to add talent. His surgeon is in Los Angeles. His agent is in Los Angeles. He’s comfortable and has his support system in Los Angeles.
I’m a huge Angel fan so I hope U R right but I would prefer the Blue Jays over the Dodgers! I don’t think Shohei wants to stick it to the Angel fans by signing with the Dodgers! He would become hated in his Newport Beach backyard if he signs with the Dodgers!
Listen, I’m an Angel fan too, but if Ohtani leaves I can’t be mad at him. He gave the Angels six-years to get their act together and they couldn’t even get to .500! They didn’t sign a single significant starter in six years. No one will do anything but applaud when Ohtani comes to bat or takes the mound no matter what team he plays for. If you want be mad, be mad at Moreno.
Hmm seems Roberts broke the first rule of Ohtani….
His name is NOT Robert Paulson….
I am curious if Ohtani has met with the Blue Jays?
Apparently he went to Dunedin to look at there ST and player development complex that was built in the last 3 years
Roberts seemed like he was implying the “Ohtani rules” were kinda silly, which they 100 percent are. At this point, my personal opinion is the Dodgers and Balelo are just working out the finer print. I’ll predict Saturday as the announcement date.
Dave Roberts openly talked about ohtani and meeting with him. You could tell he doesn’t give a crap about Ohtanis secrecy demands. He doesn’t walk on water or perform miracles. Pick a team already! This winter meeting is awful
It’s not Ohtani’s job to keep the offseason moving. He’s looking after his own free agency, which is exactly what every other player is doing too.
Or, maybe his “secrecy demands” aren’t actually the same as the melodrama being reported.
Exactly BlueSkiesLA – the whole “Ohtani demands secrecy” thing is a great headline, but that’s about it. Could be a whole lotta nothin’.
Why does he have to pick a team if he’s not ready? Because the entire baseball world hangs in the balance? That’s not his problem.
Yeah, it’s been the Dodgers for a year now.
This process has been silly and frustrating.
Just like it was the mariners the first time? Literally no one knows ANYTHING
True.
But money talks here, and the Dodgers cleared space last season to go for this.
It’s not a huge secret I don’t think.
He wanted the West Coast originally.
And if anyone thinks the Giants will outspend LA or he’ll return to the mess in Anaheim they are delusional.
Uhm hello Giants definitely could outspend the dodgers on this particular player!
Why would you view the Giant as a better situation than the Angels? The Angels still have Trout and emerging stars in O’Hoppe, Neto and Schanuel. Living in San Francisco is a nightmare with the filth and crime– he lives in Newport Beach– it’s 80 degrees today.
You are absolutely correct. And more importantly, the Giants could very well be so desperate that they will be willing to give him the same or more than the Dodgers without any incentives to pitch. I still think the Giants are very serious contenders.
@Mrivers SF has pretty good revenue and could certainly outbid the Dodgers.
“The Angels still have Trout…” that is the problem with Angels fans. That line worked when Ohtani first signed with them, but where did that get them? After all the other horrible signings, and their inability to put together a passable rotation, “still have Trout” doesn’t even address the glaring holes that the Angels have. And now Trout is on the wrong side of 30, starting to build quite the injury history, and will more than likely not win a WS unless he is traded.
Still having Trout, isn’t the answer, it’s the problem.
@carla blahblahblah
I have to laugh when people use the city as an excuse for players not signing here. Like the Giants players all live in some transient hotel in the Tenderloin. Bay Area has some of the most desirable real estate in the country, much of it within an hour of the ballpark.
Well, the worst take on this page has emerged. You really think Ohtani would live in SF proper and not Atherton like Willie Mays and Steph Curry?
Really? That’s your answer? Not that everyone is leaving San Francisco and they have a human crap chart for the city? That more than 75% of Market Street is now for lease? The malls have shut down? Whole Foods pulled out? Crime is through the roof? It’s dangerous to walk down the street, but you say he can live out in Mill Valley— or maybe Napa and drive in– sure, that makes sense. Small market and cold weather on top of it? You ever been to Newport Beach? Ever been to an Angels game? it’s like being transported back to 1969. Clean, people are polite and the chances of crime are minimal.
I need you to realize, Carla, that the ultra-wealthy are not making life altering financial decisions based on whether there are some bad neighborhoods in a city they aren’t planning to live in. Shohei Ohtani has almost nothing in common with you.
This whole secrecy thing is dumb. We all know all 30 teams would like to have him. However, there is only a few teams that can afford him. Obviously these are the teams that will meet with him. Why can’t a team say yes we met with Ohtani.
C’mon Friedman get it together already
Ohtani was seen surfing with Trout in Malibu yesterday, AND they got matching halo tattoos.
Trout hurt his back and is out until after the all star break
Some team will end up paying 450M+ for the right to end up working for Ohtani.
Think 550+ million
“Think 550+ million”…Personally I don’t see that. His last team, the Angels, proved that if you dedicate too much salary to too few players you won’t be able to surround them with adequate complementary talent and role players. I don’t think extracting every last penny is Ohtani’s goal anyways. I think most of this 500-600M stuff is MSM driven. Remember Ohtani’s not even going to pitch next year.
The Angel’s problem was not overspending on 1 or 2 guys. Their biggest problem has been the inability of their stars to remain on the field. The offense was supposed to be built around the trio of Trout, Ohtani and Rendon. With 2 of them missing in action most of the last 3 years it’s been like trying to swim up a waterfall for the one remaining bat. In September all 3 graced the DL. The oddity is they refuse to spend on pitching .
He’ll shoot for 550.
Still only 29. After next season, he could be used in a hybrid role or innings cap.
The guy is an awesome slugger who walks a lot. And steals bases.
C’mon what’s wrong with .270, 35 HRs as a floor.
29 is older than the average MLB player and at the upper end of the large majority of players’ prime performance years- and he turns 30 during next season- he’s definitely leaving prime performance years imminently. He will not be close to as good next season as he was during his walk year. Probably around 4-5 WAR for 2024. He has no MLB youth left, which is one of the reasons his contract will be such a disaster. And he’s not a good base stealer. His first possibility of being a 2 way player for his next team is during the season he turns 31.
That’s the same point I made actually. If you spread the money around you won’t be as reliant on the health of 1 or 2 or even 3 players. After Trout & Rendon went down it was basically Ohtani and a AAAA team of Andrew Velazquezs.
You have got to be kidding me . The last 3 years he has averaged 20 steals a year. In spite of missing last September.
He’s a career 71% base stealer- which breaks even at best, and he doesn’t steal that many bases anyway. And he will lose his base stealing ability quickly, since he does not have a body type that ages well for speed.
So much money to be made world eide for the team that signschim.
signs him*
If you think 71% is breaking even then let’s each put $20 on a table. I’ll take about $28 back and you take about $12.
He’s around 3% above breaking even and doesn’t steal many bases anyway- and definitely can’t be counted on for it much at all going forward, being that he’s an aging soon to be 30 year old 6’4 player. that’s it. He was terrible at it last year. He has been a decent base stealer, that’s it.
He will still be able to hit some triples for a while because it doesn’t rely nearly as much on the 1st step speed that he will lose very soon.
Yea id bet its something like 580 over 12
$450? Try $600M.
He’ll sign for the club that offers him $1 more than the nearest competing offer. He has no agenda or preference besides getting paid which is the objective of any free agent.
Except the market he plays in matters. He’s already earned tens of millions from endorsements throughout his career so salary alone won’t be the deciding factor.
He gets endorsement deals in 2 different countries. Money isn’t everything for this dude.
With the net market size matters aot less. And if we are talking about being able to exploit a market–Toronto (owned by Rogers Communications) is probably primed to exploit it.
Ohtani made $37 million in endorsements in 2023. If he is in a market with a large Asian population like the Bay Area, Toronto, or even to a smaller extend LA, his endorsements will go up. He might continue to make more in endorsements than he does in salary.
No they won’t. Preposterous.
See, this is exactly what gets me. You want highest dollar. Awesome, you have every right to go after that.
What you DON’T have the right to do is say I care only about winning. Uh, no you don’t. You can’t have both.
What has he specifically said?
@ njbirdsfan — “You can’t have both”. I mean, most of the teams that offer top dollar free agents top dollar, are in win mode. I don’t see the Nationals, or Rockies trying to sign him.
I’d say it’s more like “You have to have both”.
Yea i agree, i always thought that with teames in texas and Florida having no state tax you could take les money over all but make the same in the end. For instance you are taxed at about 50% in Canada and at about 37% in texas and Florida. You could take 15% less to play in those markets but make the same for instance, California is the worst state tax wise aswell
MLB players file tax returns for each state/country in which they play, and are taxed based on the number of days they work in each area. The differences between Toronto and Los Angeles vs. Miami and Dallas as the home team are not really that massive.
Murphy
One thing you overlooked in your tax analysis.. players are taxed in the state-province the games are played. Divide your tax difference in half.
How do you know what he’s doing before he’s done it? If he stays with the Angels that means he doesn’t want to win. If he goes to the highest bidder he’s greedy and disloyal. If he takes too long he’s selfish. If he doesn’t talk to reporters he’s not good for the game– he’s about himself. If he goes to the Dodgers he stabbed the Angels in the back. Whatever this guy does he will be criticized.
That’s not true for all free agents. There are some that left money on the table to go to certain teams with the objective of winning. Most, of course, choose the paycheck over winning.
Actually, living on the region, Shohei profiles differently. He came to MLB early, costing himself about $30m, because he said he wanted the highest level of competition. But that was before Boras was involved haha.
A guess is back to the Angels.
Boras is not his agent.
And you know this how? Oh wait, I know. Everyone is motivated by money. No free agent could possibly turn down more money because they value something else. Just like Judge left NY last season to take the Padres top dollar offer. Oh, wait, that didn’t happen did it?
If the Angels are the highest bidder they still aren’t signing him so no.
Then he won’t sign in CA since the taxes alone would take them out. He’s gonna sign where he wants to play as long as that team is roughly in the same ballpark as the others. No team is going to be monumentally higher than another in the bidding, at least as it comes down to the last few teams.
His California endorsement deals more than pay his state income tax.
Funny how this warrants breaking news, as it was just three days ago that they posted that Ohtani’s decision was coming in the next week…
Can’t wait for Friday’s update on MLB Trade Rumors…
Ohtani decision coming in the next 48 hours!
I think you are on the wrong site. You are looking for mlbtradefacts.com.
The Dodgers and Angels may be the only teams interested at this point.
Yeah I’m sure the Yankees, Met’s, Blue Jays and Giant have no interest in him.
If he chooses other than LAD, will be fascinating to see all the pursuits shift
Dodgers or Angels I predict. Losing teams pivot hard for Yamamoto who is waiting for the Elephant to decide which is shrewd.
Really want a primetime special announcement where he announces in a high school. It would be must watch, enthralling TV like we have never seen before.
LeBron II
Oh the suspense
Wish he would just decide today so the floodgates would open. We are all in the same boat tho, so hang in there everyone! Lots more news after Sunday!
Dodgers need a little time to get rid of some payroll in some way. That’s if they match the Giants offer, in which case he’ll sign in LA.
So some news coming out of the Southland in the next few days will tell us the Dodgers intentions.
Get rid of payroll? Why? They are tens of millions under the tax threshold so far.
I was not aware of that. Figured it was tough to take on 600 million. So perhaps it’s just Ohtani who needs a little time to decide whether Giants or dodgers?
Ok, so it looks like both teams have stepped up and are waiting on him.
The Dodgers are at their lowest payroll in years. They have been preparing for this for two years.
Pirates increasing payroll.
Now there you go James. You’ve hit the proverbial nail on the head. Forget all this Ohtani talk. The Bucs increasing payroll is the story.
The reason why it mattered..whether you agree or not is ,to ohtani , being able to honor one simple request demonstrates trust and respect..he may ask himself..if the dodgers cant do this basic thing..what happens down the line when they have most of the control of situations….all he had to do was say “no comment” ..probably wont be a dealbreaker but ..come on dave..you have one job in this..that is to not talk about it..
.basic
Yeah I really don’t understand why Roberts couldn’t just keep his mouth shut. Blatant disrespect to Ohtani who clearly said he wanted his free agency secretive. Also the media lovers like Jon Heyman and Jeff Passan who can’t even report truthful articles so they say dumb stuff for viewership. Last year Heyman confirmed Judge to the Giants then the very next day he signed with the Yankees
Respect is a big thing to Japanese. Just saying.
“Lovers” was actually supposed to say “losers’ but it autocorrected. Heyman, Passan are losers and so are all of MLB Network lol
Roberts didn’t say anything significant. He acknowledged they met with him, so what? Everyone knows they did and the Angels did, and SF and Toronto and the Cubs– what did he give away … Nothing. Did Ron Washington give anything away when he said he didn’t want to give anything away? Ohtani is not going to eliminate the Dodgers as a destination because the manager said flattering things about him. Roberts said nothing that gave any indication as to what they discussed, money, where things stand, what Ohtani was looking for, complaints about the Angels, or anything else that was private.
Well said
The absurdity of all these “fans” claiming the acknowledgement — or even rumors — of meeting with a team present some kind of technical “gotcha” that Ohtani would use to disqualify said team is ridiculous.
Wholeheartedly agree. There were no specifics given, just that they met with him. it was already reported that Ohtani was meeting with a contingent in LA over the weekend.
Washington Wild Things about to pull the upset of the offseason.
It’s going t be the Angels or Dodgers, because he likes doing the commercial aspect of being in LA, the Japanese media is all over LA, he likes playing on the West Coast closer to Japan.
Then go the M’s, they’re even closer to Japan.
I’d certainly love to see that but Jerry ain’t gonna do it.
He could play for the university of Hawaii. even closer
For a half a billion dollars you could move Toronto closer to Japan.
Which teams can afford 50 million a year for the next 10 years min? That should tell you who really is in or not.
Toronto doesnt get enough credit but they are a huge market..the city itself is only smaller than NY and LA from a population standpoint among mlb cities…they easily have the resources as well as a surrounding cast ready to win now.
The Jays, Rogers has assets of $ 55.66 Billion Canadian. Also Toronto is the 3rd? biggest city in NA and they have the entire Country broadcast rights. (biggest market).
However, Rogers is a publicly traded company so this is why they never go big in FA. Have to sell it to the shareholders.
Your facts are erroneous. New York, Los Angeles and Mexico City are bigger metropolitan areas than Toronto. As are Chicago, Washington DC and California’s Bay area. Though the 2nd 3 are approximately the same in population as Toronto’s Golden Horseshoe. That said each of the first 3 have more than double the population of the Golden Horseshoe even if you include Buffalo. So 3rd largest no. If you only include the immediate Toronto area they are 10th in Nort America. If you include the entire Horseshoe they bypass Philadelphia, Dallas and Houston to take 7th.
SFG 8/560
Unless comfort is really the top priority I just cannot see him picking the Angels again. It seems it’s down to the Dodgers, Giants and Jays. Still guessing the Dodgers but it’d be pretty funny if he picked a different team and cited Roberts as why
“It seems it’s down to the Dodgers, Giants and Jays.” Thanks Captain Obvious!
Google search Rogers all in on Ohtani. I doubt Rogers will be outbid by anyone now. Merchandise, ticket sales and broadcast rights sales to Japan and all the while increasing Canadian presence globally/pacific. Too good of an opportunity for Rogers to miss out on.
The Angels are his safety net. If things fall through with the Dodgers or Giants, he will return to the Angels on a deal that might have opt outs after years 1 and 2
Pretty sure he won’t stick it to Angel fans/organization and sign with the Dodgers unless the Dodgers offer blows everyone else’s away. Hell, not sure if the Dodgers can out bid Toronto seeing as Blue Jays ownership appear to be all-in on Ohtani. I hope he re-signs with the Angels and not ditch Trout!
Really? The Giants are better option than the Angels? Why? The Angels still have Trout and a young group of emerging stars in Neto, O’Hoppe and Schanuel. I’m sure Ohtani would also prefer living in Newport Beach to the filth and crime of San Francisco. Toronto won a whopping 89 games last year and their two big stars are going to free agency in two seasons– and it’s in Canada, not the bigger markets of LA or NY. The Cubs have won nothing yet and have a lot of holes to fill. If Ohtani re-signs with the Angels (who had by far the most injuries of any team in the game last year) he will sign based on guarantees of overall increased team spending beyond the cap to add additional players. If the Angels don’t do that… Ohtani will go to the Dodgers. The Dodgers team physician is the man who did Ohtani’s elbow repair. They are only 30 minutes away and it’s 80 degrees in December.
Um, most SF athletes live outside of the city so this “filth” of the city should be a non starter. LA has filthy areas, too, a whole section in fact. I’m sure Ohtani is agonna be walking the streets. But thanks for that public service announcement
Really a dishonest response from you. I was just in San Francisco and everywhere you go there are drug addicts and bums you have to walk over and around serpentining your way down the street– any street. The crime is out of control. It smell like urine everywhere. The biggest hotels are closing down. Newport Beach where he currently lives is pristine. it doesn’t have crime. It doesn’t have homeless anywhere. It smells like the Pacific Ocean. Yeah, there’s a huge difference. Where he’s at is a special place. That’s just reality.
Newport Beach is 45 minutes to an hour from Anaheim in traffic.
45 minutes to an hour? The guy isn’t traveling by Rickshaw. Sober up. For a 7:00PM start he is probably at the stadium by 2:00PM, but he’s not sitting in rush hour traffic. I live in Santa Monica and after a game it takes me almost exactly 30 minutes to get home– so I don’t know what you’re talking about?
Insults….classy. I guess that’s how you get down in “pristine” Newport Beach. My point is that the stadium is in Anaheim, which like every other city has it’s share of grit. And an aging stadium (but not “classic” aging like Dodger Stadium, dive bar aging like Oakland Coliseum) without any decent food. At least there wasn’t any when I went there in 2017. Maybe that’s what you meant by “it’s like 1969” – stale pizza, hot dogs, and Coors Light.
I’m not insulting you, I’m debating you. I’m not mad or insulted by anything you’ve said. My friend, I understand the nature of big dirty cities. Anaheim is not a big dirty city. It’s just not. I don”t live there, so I have no skin in the game. I actually live in a big dirty city called Los Angeles. There is no filth or homeless issue I’ve ever seen near the stadium or the surrounding area and Newport Beach is one of the nicest places to live in the country. Anaheim stadium is repeatedly voted the best overall fan experience for price, food, etc.– again, these are facts. Oakland Coliseum is in a terrible crime ridden neighborhood and one of the reasons why the franchise stopped fighting to stay and is moving. San Francisco was my favorite city, the most romantic, the best restaurants, and a great jumping off point to a lot of places, but it’s changed in a horrible way– it’s sad but true. If Ohtani goes to the Giants I’ll be happy for you– direct Shohei to the right realtor in Mill Valley. Maybe they can helicopter him into the stadium for his own safety.
“Sober up” is definitely an insult. And people who overuse the word filth usually have a weird obsession with purity.
It’s meant to be lighthearted and funny– playing with you. You are obviously a very sensitive person. I can’t imagine being so offended by anything a stranger said to me, let alone anonymous people posting here. I hope life gets easier for you.
Everybody knows this is a done deal for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Done!
Not really
Ohtani wants to win. Dodgers have major bad bad choke juju.
Those famous last words just before the announcer says… “Hold everything! No one expected this…”
He should just ask the dodgers for the pirates when he is done playing… if the dodgers buy him the pirates he retires a dodger, lol
This whole ordeal has made me like Ohtani less. I know it’s part of the business… but the dude knows where he wants to go, this is just to drive up the price.. and if you’re gonna get paid a half billion dollars or more, money really can’t be a factor beyond that.
He’s probably also being guided by his agency.
You may be right. Never thought about it like that. It’s kind of messed up on his part I agree
@ryan
You’ve decided to like a player less based on your own speculation? You do you, I suppose.
Dude is making a decision on the next 10+ years of his life, so he had better do his due diligence to ensure he’ll be happy there, $500mm or not. Ask Arenado how he felt signing massive contract, only to feel disrespected by his team.
Come on, man. What is he holding up? It’s a huge decision for him. He loves it with the Angels and wants to come back, but they’ve done nothing but lose. Can he trust anything they say? Does he go to the Dodgers– which would hurt the Angels even more? Does he take his act to Canada? The money was always going to be around $50M a season. He’s not driving up anything. He’s deciding what place is the best place for him to be the best he can be, win and be happy. He made $37M last year in endorsements and $30M for the Angels– money isn’t the issue. Where to play is?
Ohtani: Media avoidance for the Artful Dodger.
Morosi earlier said he would sign during Winter Meetings. I guess if he keeps putting out a new time line once a week he will eventually be right.
Can’t wait for him to be signed so we can focus on the sport of baseball. You know, a team of players? Not just one guy. Also, Ohtani will be a bust and likely only has 4 or 5 average seasons left in him.
Average for him, or major league average?
I would say he regresses to league average or just above league average.
That’s quite a take. If that actually happened, it would be sad. Not only for him but all of baseball.
Why would it be sad? There’s hundreds of players to root for and be excited for. Why is ohtani you peoples god all of a sudden?
He is not god. He is a very good player. I would be sad to see any good player lose it. I have empathy for them, they are human.
I just mean you people act like he will get the ten year contract, make 10 all star games, 8 MVP’s, 6 Cy Youngs and be a hall of famer. I’m saying no way. And don’t say that’s not what you and everybody else expects from him. All year people were saying he was better than Ruth and ALREADY did enough to make the hall. You know I’m right.
And sad? So you have empathy for: Stanton, Kris Bryant, Byron Buxton, Rizzo, Tim Anderson, Mad Bum, etc. Thats only a couple off the top of my head who were all star MVP type players too that have fallen off recently. That list is enormous.
Of course, there’s a bunch of chuckleheads saying stuff like that there’s always a bunch of knuckleheads saying a bunch of nonsense. I never said anything like that don’t group me in with “you people“ all I said him regressing to league average would be sad. Same if Ronald Acuna regressed next year, it would be sad.
And yes, I have empathy for all of those people you just mentioned. Just because I’m a fan of one team doesn’t mean I’m not a human.
@davey
“I would say he regresses to league average or just above league average”
Care to substantiate? That’s a pretty bold claim to make.
Because no one in the history of baseball has done what you people think he will do. Ever. Bonds and Clemens had like 7 mvp’s/cy youngs. That will never happen again. There is just no way he has 10 mvp caliber seasons in a row. Like I said, 4 or 5 solid all star type seasons at the most, and thats these next 4 or 5 years. He’s already going into his age 30 season. You don’t get better at 35/36 years old.
I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and backtrack a hair. He may win 1 more mvp in one of the next 2 season. I predict he will give up pitching after having another Tommy John in ‘25. He will make the all star team next season, tj in ‘25, and regress to slightly above average for the rest of his career.
@davey
I said it was bold that a top 5 hitter would suddenly regress to league average – a claim you yourself have since walked back – and I am now one of “you people” who apparently thinks he’s going to win 10 MVPs or something? I hope you didn’t pull a hammy making that leap.
Anyway, you could – and hear me out – stop pretending like you’re holding a crystal ball, and just see how this plays out.
Clown
I didn’t walk anything back I just added some detail to my original statement which was only 2 sentences long. By “slightly above average for 4-5 years”, I would say a .275 ba, 20 hr, 75 rbi’s, 15 stolen bases for the next 4-5 seasons. I don’t know where to find league wide stats as far as what exact numbers the “average player” would produce. You said that was a bold claim but it happens all the time in sports. Kevin Durant comes to mind. He was on track to be better than Lebron and now he is still good, but his numbers regressed after his surgery.
I’m now sad for you too
Yes you are. You’re very sad.
Finally. I’m sure Yamamoto will have decided by the end of next week too.
Not so sure about that. DBacks should throw a ton of money to get him in their rotation mix.
I doubt AZ get Yamamoto. Best AZ can hope for the rest of the offseason is two established starters and a DH. Martinez/Soler for DH and 2 of Imanaga/ERod/Stroman/Giolito would help them a lot.
D’back’s need to win now. Ohtani can’t pitch until 2025.I don’t see Arizona paying that much for a DH.
Angels still in the mix? I’d find it humorous if he went through all this and still decided to stay with them.
He’s going to stay with Angels and everybody in the media gonna meltdown
Announcement will be on Dec 7th… (He’s stayin with Angels)
Pearl Harbor Day ?
Really?
“It’d indeed be rather surprising if Ohtani’s decision on where he’ll play the next 10 to 13 seasons at a likely price tag north of $500MM were substantially impacted by a team’s manager simply acknowledging interest that has been anticipated for more than a year.”
Please just let us have this.
Of course you can have it! so much of the speculation in these forums is from our heart not our head.
Jon Heyman is going to report Ohtani to the Orioles and then the next day it’s going to be official he signs with the Angels
Heyman will say Shogee Ohtani is signing with the Orioles. Get it right, man!
The Pirates are the obvious choice for Ohtani
Nah I think the A’s are a better fit.
So now we know when The Player Whose Name We Dare Not Speak will descend from the mountaintop?
Sundays are for the NFL. This guy needs to learn his place.
His place?
Toronto has a huge asian population could be a factor as well
Just in time for the winter meetings to be over. Did Balelo have the wrong calendar or something? Almost seems like he has a personal vendetta against mlb. Wonder if he’s mad he lost his shot at the show and this is his chance to “stick” it to mlb clubs. The commission on this contract alone will earn him more than he ever did in baseball. I’m likely completely wrong on all of this, but it seems odd that this couldn’t have happened last week so that we could actually have a normal winter meetings this week…
Thank the baseball gods! The Hot Stove can now be fully stoked.
If it’s LAD I don’t wanna hear anymore excuses from this fan base. Nothing but a covid ring to show for. At least we can claim F.O. incompetence the Dodgers are just choke after choke with an all star at every position, highly appraised scouting and development, and about to add their 3rd generational talent to the roster. Wasted a generational pitcher too.
I love how getting to the World Series three times and winning one translates to “always choking in the first round”
Like he said…only a COVID ring
How long you do you think he can be a two-way player. How will his batting effect his recovery…
Hilarious that this guy shut down Winter Meetings (for the most part) as the league and free agents wait out his decision. Imagine how crazy active this week would have been had he signed just before meetings started.
I really hope it’s a shock where he signs. LAD, NYY, etc are all boring. Baseball free agency is so predictable. Give us all a WTF moment!
Hopefully it’s the reason Buffalo Bob hasn’t spent any money for two years.
Angels 10 – $550mil with opt out after years 3,4,5.
He fits perfectly there. He’s comfortable, he gets to live on the Beach, the Angels know how to utilize him, and Moreno has shown he’s willing to spend (although disastrously at times).
It Makes perfect sense for him to stay and let the club build around him and Trout for another decade.
If he leaves for the Dodgers he’ll be absolutely hated anywhere other than dodgers stadium in SoCal.
He’s returning to the Angels
It’s almost as if people have forgotten that the aging recent surgery patient Ohtani turns 30 during next season and won’t pitch again until 2025. His contract is a disaster and it hasn’t even been signed yet. It will end up being one of the worst, if not the very worst contract in MLB history. Plus the soon to be 30 year old Ohtani being an aging drama queen about the free agency process is not a good look. He’s paid tens of millions (soon to be hundreds of millions) to be a public figure, yet he threatens teams if they aren’t completely secretive about the process. No thanks. Next.
Question: When will The Decision be televised and on what channel?
The revolution will not be televised…
The Oracle at high noon.
Angels. That is where I think. Main reason. Medical team he will work with in rehab. We all know when you find doctors and trainers you trust it is hard to change. Astros window is slowly starting to close. Mariners are good but always make to many changes. Oak Vegas? No
Rangers coming off a World Series but wild card be much easier in the West
Giants are out. Division is to tough and he would be the man in an island. They could not afford to get him some help
Toronto. Well you got to deal with the rays Yankees and the next best team in baseball In Baltimore
Dodgers. Great team has help but Ohtani is not stupid. Who would want to play for the worst manager in baseball Wait till he gets pulled in the 4th with a lead when he walks a lead off hitter. Oh Robert’s why
Worst manager in baseball is the laziest and most undereducated take of all takes on Dave Roberts.
He won’t have to worry about getting pulled in the 4th until 2025 at the earliest.
Maybe Dave will pinch hit for him in the third inning
It won’t be the Dodgers. My guess on most likely to least likely: Blue Jays, Cubs, Angels, Giants.
Giants seem like the best fit overall
Next headline:
“Report: Ohtani having breakfast. Has narrowed choices to over-easy or sun side up for eggs. Appears to be drinking orange juice but not confirmed at this time, could be a fruit blend.”
Please note: I’m not knocking this site or any other who is reporting on Ohtani. I just have a warped sense of humor and enjoy the crazy rush to report on…. essentially nothing.
If he likes his egg Sunnyside up he’s definitely gonna be a Blue jay
@Monkey’s Uncle’
Japanese don’t usually have over-easy or sunny side up eggs. They’re usually served in the form of something called tamagoyaki.
… which is exactly why Ohtani is ordering them, he’s keeping everyone guessing!
In all seriousness, thank you for the correction, I like learning new stuff.
tamagoyaki is a rolled up omelet that is cut up in sections to fit in a Bento box. It is made for lunch, not breakfast. Sunnyside up is the most common way that eggs are eaten in Japan for breakfast
I’m so over this
So tired of this whole “act” already. The Winter Meetings have been a total “BUST” & BORING!
If only 4 or 5 teams are truly “IN” on Ohtani, then why are the other 25 teams standing pat on Free Agent signings???
@fenwayfrank
Ohtani sets the ceiling for money this offseason. If he signs for $700M, that raises the floor for the others.
Dragging this thing out is starting to seem a bit Narcissistic. You have four or five teams willing to pay you a half a billion dollars.. just pick a team.
@Bobcastelliniscat
Hard decision.
Yankees haven’t been that good and haven’t been to the WS in decades. Plus, their lineup isn’t scary with a few stars and mostly scrub AAA guys filling in all the holes.
Mets: Who wants to join a dysfunctional team aside from getting the big money? Plus, he’s going to trade you halfway through the season so what’s the point aside from money?
Giants: Have you seen that city? Unless the leader of China visits, it’s a mess.
LAD: Sure, he can go there and win 162 games only to be knocked out of the first round. As a player, is that what you want? Plus, with that high state tax, do you really want to spend your season paying half your wage to the state?
Cubs: Have you seen the city? Another mess.
Rangers: They just won so it’s possible they could be a decent selection. But again, they beat the Diamondbacks. My beer league team could beat them!
Blue Jays: Another big tax place that takes 90% of your salary. Why go there?
These comments are a mess.
You hate everywhere. We get it already. Better for Ohtani to give up playing baseball entirely than to play in any of these terrible places!
@BlueSkies_LA
Do you also yell at people to get off your lawn? What an angry person. Lighten up and laugh a bit. Life’s too short to take everything so serious.
You just got through telling us about all the places you hate, and I’m the angry person? Weird, man.
@BlueSkies_LA
Oh well, you sound angry so I’ll leave you to be.
You win today’s frowny!
🙁
Since the Dodgers pretty much admitted they are out of the running when Roberts broke Ohtani’s rule about keeping negotiations private, that means its down to the Blue Jays, Giants, and possibly the Cubs.
My money is still on the Giants. They NEED Ohtani more. Only the Yankees needed someone like him more and they went after a hitter instead.
I know it’s still early yet, but I believe this comment makes you a finalist for today’s silliest spin on this story.
I usually don’t agree with Pads Fans but in this case I believe he’s reading the same tea leaves I am. Rodgers comment came off as low key bitter as though he had just been informed that the Dodgers were no longer in the running. On top of that you have ESPN working overtime (Olney, Stephen A, etc) complaining about Ohtani and his process. We all know ESPN loves the big name teams like the Yankees and Dodgers so they also seem kind of bitter as though they know Ohtani will be going to a “lesser” team that attracts fewer eyeballs.
The problem isn’t which tea leaves you are reading, but that you’re reading tea leaves at all. Nothing to be found there as nobody knows anything at this point except the player, his agent, and the teams, and they aren’t saying anything that tells us anything (Dave Roberts didn’t either). Lots of people are into trying to figure something out on the basis of no actual information, but that’s just silly. Really, they are only guessing based on their own biases, and consider the value of that.
Media, fans and (rolling eyed) execs turning on Ohtani is horrible. Just a professional man from a different culture making life decisions in a way that he is comfortable. Not hurting or offending anyone in any way.
Agreed. People are acting like he is pulling a LeBron “The Decision” moment (which I think was ridiculous) but Shohei is conducting himself just fine professionally.
Best quote on Ohtani I’ve heard came from Tom Tolbert on KNBR. “People who don’t know anything following other people who don’t know anything”.
I’d prefer an overly produced ESPN Special as his way of letting us know where he is taking his talents.
Sign me up as well! I gotta believe that MLB would also love to air that special on their baseball network.
That said, it is definitely not in Shohei Ohtani’s makeup to be a celebrity like LeBron James or many other superstar athletes. It’s actually refreshing to see a professional ballplayer so dedicated to his craft. I can only wish Yoan Moncada and other White Sox players had that same commitment.
Why does it feel more and more like Ohtani stays with the Angels? They have accommodated his special needs and he lives in Newport Beach– it’s 80 degrees today in December. He can get assurances from Moreno on adding talent. They are willing to have a 6-man rotation. He has his routine and he likes it and the fans and his teammates. If he doesn’t come back he’s going to the Dodgers– no one else is in play.
@carla Repeating the same silly drivel over and over doesn’t make it true.
He signed with the Giants. Official word coming soon!
Dave Roberts is saying “Stop playing games, we’ve given you 560 million reasons to say yes already”
“But I didn’t trade Parkman outright. I got you an outfielder. He used to play for the Giants.”
“Franklin?”
“Not those Giants.”
Just go to the Dodgers and get it over with already.
Zzzzzzz
Him being on any team will be a win for him and win for the owner(s). He won’t necessarily bring a team a championship but he will fills seats. In the end that’s all that matters.
Toronto and its obvious
LA Dodgers. End of a too long nauseating story. The guy may never pitch again. Yeesh.
i think it’s toronto. international city less obnoxious media and a domed stadium he loves
Agree on toronto..thier market combined with the resources of rogers make it pretty easy for them financially if they choose..rogers has a net worth of 21bn..far outpacing even uncle steve
What are you smoking? A) Even if the Rogers family actually had a net worth of 21 billion that doesn’t “far outpace” Steve Cohen, whose worth is listed at 19.8 billion by Forbes. B) Rogers family was listed as 10 bill estimate by bloomberg in 2021. So my owner has more money than your owner. And my dad can beat up your dad too.
Will the Giants get Arson Judge AND Shoes Ohtani?
Ohtani signs with the Mets, 15 years 700 million. Boom
I think 40 years $1 Billion would do it.. I can see Ohtani playing into his 70s.
Yes! After all, Shohei Ohtani is the unicorn…the legendary one-horned beast who can only be tamed by a virgin. No one can say with any certainty that has happened yet since Ohtani’s personal life has been kept a bigger secret than his current free agency.
Just to be on the safe side, his next employer might want to encourage Ohtani to continue leading a semi-monastic, baseball-centric existence, at least until he starts collecting Social Security!
@ASapsFables
Fun facts, he was the MVP of the league and still voluntarily stayed at the team dormitory, which are mostly occupied by rookies. He also gave complete control of his finances to his parents, who then gave him a $1,000 per month allowance and he only really spend about $200 of that, all while making $2.4 million per year.
Sorry but I find all of that hard to believe, he’s almost 30 years old and if he was going to stay in the team dormitories I don’t think he would be so picky of the location he wants to play.
Love the guy but at $50 plus million AAV he will kill the team for years to come. Having one player suck 20 – 25 percent of team salary rarely works well.
Ohtani isn’t one player. He is two players
was.
Oh please hurry up already, why are most players waiting on Ohtani to sign, it’s not like they’re going to make what he gets anyway . Come on Yamamoto, Montgomery, Hoskins/Soler and Hader or Aaron Loup come back
My bet is he re-signs with the Angels. I don’t think Arte wants that cash cow to leave. The guy is a business man first and the amount of money Ohtani brought into his coffers is probably enormous. So he will overpay and they will continue to lose for the foreseeable future because he won’t be willing to bust the luxury tax for any other additional players.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Oakland A’s are gonna sign Ohtani. Nobody sees this coming but I heard that they met with him at the In and Out Burger off of Hegenberger Road at 3 am last week.
Maybe the Dodgers