With Aaron Nola becoming the first major addition, the MLB hot stove has begun to heat up, but as the most sought-after player of all time, Shohei Ohtani’s free agency decision has left the market largely stagnant.
Although Ohtani’s interest in joining various teams will be piqued, his choice will probably come down to a large-market team on the West Coast that can produce regular wins.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the front-runners to sign Ohtani as a result, but because the two-way player likes to live a quiet life, it’s difficult to gauge exactly what he wants.
MLB executives, however, believe Ohtani will probably sign before or during the Winter Meetings, which start on December 4. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, there’s also an anticipation that talks with teams should really start to ramp up after Thanksgiving.
After Thanksgiving, those discussions will probably pick up steam. A lot of industry experts believe Ohtani will announce his decision before next month’s Winter Meetings in Nashville.
This summer, a contract worth at least $500 million is anticipated to be signed by the 29-year-old. Ohtani, though, is rumored to be amenable to a short-term deal that would enable him to prove himself as a top starting pitcher once more, ultimately shattering the record for annual average value.
Ohtani is allegedly the Dodgers’ top goal, with both ownership and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman determined to bring the two-way star into the organization despite the significant financial commitment. Ohtani also expressed a great deal of regard for the Dodgers’ player development program and progressive coaching style, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, which makes the two teams a perfect fit.
Ohtani had a fantastic hit.304/.412/.654 in 599 plate appearances (135 games) this past season with 26 doubles, 8 triples, 44 home runs, 95 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. He pitched 132 innings over 23 starts, going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 1.06 WHIP, and 11.4 strikeouts per nine.
Ohtani still offers the best offensive talent on the market despite missing the 2024 season as a pitcher; he should be ready to throw again in 2025.
Shohei Ohtani puts best fit ahead of contract worthMLB officials generally agree that Ohtani is more concerned with finding the right match than maximizing his profits.
Ohtani chose to join Major League Baseball (MLB) instead of accepting a lucrative contract with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters when he departed Nippon Professional Baseball in 2017. In the end, he signed with the Los Angeles Angels, where he was restricted to a rookie-scale contract by international signing regulations but still received a modest $2.315 million signing bonus.
Ohtani may accept a smaller salary, but he more than makes up for it with marketing and sponsorship deals that amount to almost six times as much as those of the next-highest MLB player.