ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 11: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels. (Picture by Ronald Martinez/Getty Photos)
Shohei Ohtani’s agent’s newest feedback opened the door for him to check free company. Listed here are three groups that must be able to make a soar on the two-way celebrity.
MLB spring coaching has begun, and the highest free brokers out there this previous winter have signed with their respective groups. For many who missed out on the likes of Aaron Decide or Trea Turner will now deal with the 2023 marketing campaign, and for who will grow to be out there in free company. Surely, the highest free company out there subsequent winter will probably be Los Angeles Angels pitcher and slugger Shohei Ohtani.
With Ohtani set to grow to be an unrestricted free agent, followers need to be questioning if he’ll really hit the open market, or stay with the crew that signed him from Japan in December 2017. Properly, Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo of CAA Sports activities, spoke with the media on Monday and offered a obscure reply as as to if Ohtani would negotiate a contract extension with the Angels in free company.
“I’ve at all times been open to it,” Balelo mentioned. “However there’s a number of layers to this one, and Shohei’s earned the fitting to play by way of the yr, discover free company, and we’ll see the place it shakes out.”
So, the door to Ohanti exploring free company is open. With that, fanbases of the opposite 29 groups will probably be envisioning the previous 2021 AL MVP sporting a special uniform in 2024.
Listed here are three groups that must be getting ready to make a push for Ohtani in free company subsequent winter. If this previous offseason has proven something, it’s that the New York Mets will probably be in on practically each prime free agent, thanks partially to new crew proprietor Steve Cohen.
Have a look at this winter, he was in a position to signal Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga, Jose Quintana, and David Robertson, whereas re-signing stars like Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz, and Adam Ottavino. To not point out that even after these strikes, that they had a $315 million contract settlement with shortstop Carlos Correa earlier than it was pulled due to concerns over an ankle injury. Although he missed out on Correa, Cohen confirmed that he’s keen to spend as a lot cash as attainable to herald the most effective expertise to assist lead the crew to their first World Sequence title since 1986.
If Ohtani had been to grow to be a free agent subsequent winter, the Met must be thought of one of many favorites. Think about having Ohtani on the prime of the rotation alongside Verlander and Max Scherzer (if he opts to stick with his participant choice), but in addition in the identical batting order as Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor.
Shohei Ohtani rumors: 3 groups already licking their chops without cost company, No. 3: New York Mets
