As the regular season comes to an end, many teams look towards the offseason to see how they can upgrade for next season. It just so happens that this offseason, the best player in baseball, Shohei Ohtani, will become available.
What makes Shohei Ohtani special is that he is the only player ever to pitch and hit at an all-star level in the same season. Many compare him to Babe Ruth, which is not a necessarily fair comparison–Ruth never hit and pitched during the same season at the level Ohtani does.
Ohtani leads the American League in home runs this year with 44 homers. He leads all of MLB in slugging percentage, which is the total number of bases a player earns per at bat. Ohtani also leads MLB in on base plus slugging, which is the percent the batter reaches base plus slugging.
On the pitching side of things, Ohtani had a 10-5 record, a 3.14 earned run average, and 132 innings pitched. As a result of his stellar performance on both sides of the ball, Ohtani has locked in his chances of winning American League MVP.
Ohtani is quite valuable as a player for two reasons: firstly, it is difficult to find a player with the spectacular power to hit 40 plus homers each year. Secondly, Ohtani upgrades his team twofold, while only taking up one roster spot.
The only minor issue with Ohtani is that he has an oblique injury. Ohtani will not be able to pitch next year, but many doctors have said that he will be able to hit. Due to recent surgery, he will be back to pitching and hitting in the 2025 season. Despite the minor injury, many suitors will still pursue Ohtani to have the best designated hitter in baseball next season.
Before discuss Ohtani’s suitors, it is important to talk about Ohtani himself. It is unknown what Ohtani wants from a suitor. Many reporters have speculated that Ohtani wants to play on the west coast because it is closer to his home country of Japan. It is true that when Ohtani originally came over from Japan, most of his landing spots were on the west coast. Others have suggested he will want the largest contract in baseball history. This would add up, considering his skill level.
It is unsure if Ohtani will prioritize either possibility; what is known is that Ohtani wants to win. Ohtani has been on the underachieving Los Angeles Angels for the last six years. They have not made the playoffs once in that time frame, which could be frustrating.
The owner of the Angels is also cheap and meddles with the team–it would make sense that Ohtani wants to sign with an organization that expects to win. There are four big suitors for Ohtani: the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets, the San Francisco Giants, and the Boston Red Sox. It is likely the Dodgers and the Mets are in a league of their own, as they will make the two most competitive offers.
The Dodgers have been known to sign superstars, like Mookie Betts (sorry Boston,) and Freddie Freeman. This llast offseason, however, Los Angeles was uncharacteristically quiet. Many around baseball have speculated that they did not make many big moves last offseason in order to save money for Ohtani’s free agency next offseason–this could be the case. Chances of Ohtani landing there are high considering he would be moving down the street from Anaheim to Los Angeles.
The New York Mets have the richest owner in baseball, Steve Cohen. It is fully expected that the Mets make the highest offer. This makes sense as they do not have a designated hitter, and will have a spot open in their pitching staff by the time Ohtani can pitch again. The Mets also saved money by trading away aging veterans Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, which could be used to pay Ohtani.
The San Francisco Giants are a dark horse pick for signing Ohtani. They tried to break the bank last offseason when they offered Aaron Judge a very large contract that he turned down. The Giants also offered Carlos Correa a big contract, but then Correa didn’t pass his medical review and he signed elsewhere. The Giants clearly have money, and they are on the west coast, so it is a possibility.
The Boston Red Sox have been brought up in the Ohtani sweepstakes recently. Some have speculated that Ohtani could be interested in Boston because of his relationship with Jim Davis, the New Balance CEO.
Ohtani is a spokesperson for the brand and Davis is a New England local.Though the other teams listed above have a better chance than the Red Sox, it is a good sign that Boston is being mentioned in the conversation.
This offseason will be one of the biggest in recent years. Ohtani is the undisputed best player in current baseball, and possibly the best player baseball has ever seen–and that player will find a new home.
Shohei Ohtani will wear another team’s colors next season. The Shohei sweepstakes officially begins five days after the World Series ends. This upcoming offseason could be just exciting as the regular season.
