Ava’s Angle: What team is going to land Shohei Ohtani?

Shohei Ohtaini is one of the most coveted free agents in baseball history, and the hype around him signing with a team this offseason is off the charts. Once he makes a decision on where to sign, it will make a huge impact on Major League Baseball and affect a lot of the different competitor clubs in the leagues. 

Some clubs that are expected to be involved in the bidding for Ohtani are the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Angels. Other teams that are potentially considering the two-way superstar are also the New York Yankees, San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners. However, there are some teams that many major league executives predict will come out on top of the bid with the biggest hit on the market. 

Although there are many teams that are involved in this bidding for Ohtani, only one team will ultimately make the potentially historic deal happen. Let’s take a look at some of the most serious competitors for the Japanese star. 

The Mariners have risen to be in one of the most competitive divisions in the league in the AL West, with the Houston Astros and the defending World Series champions the Texas Rangers. Adding Ohtani would bolster every aspect of their roster and put them in a greater position to be on the top of their division. Ohtani’s durability, dominance and his all around offensive abilities is something that the Mariners should have no problem agreeing with. His popularity would also boost Seattle’s market tremendously, putting them at the same level as some of the other teams in the bigger markets. Back in July 2023 at the All Star Game, Ohtani revealed “Every time I come [to Seattle], the fans are passionate, they’re really into the game. So, it’s very impressive. I actually spent a couple offseasons in Seattle. So, I like the city. It’s beautiful.” The rewards of signing Ohtani are endless for Seattle and he seems to like the city as well. Overall, the Mariners should take advantage of what they know and step on the gas in this bidding process to lock in the Japanese sensation. 

Ohtani signing with the Dodgers would impact so many parts of baseball; the Dodgers are one of the most marketed teams in Major League Baseball with one of the highest payrolls. Ohtani has been heavily linked to the Dodgers, as they are an organization that has regularly seen high levels of success over the past decade. They also have an advantage, as they have geographic familiarity to the Angels, the team that Ohtani has spent six seasons with. The Dodgers are a powerhouse on the field and in the market, so there is no doubt in their willingness to spend big to land Ohtani. Putting Ohtani into a lineup with Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Max Muncy would be huge for the Dodgers. It would also solidify some of their starting rotation for the long term, as Ohtani won’t pitch in 2024 due to the elbow procedure he underwent. There are many teams that are willing to spend $500 million for Ohtani, but the Dodgers are not one to be counted out given the long-term contracts they’ve handed out in recent years. The Dodgers are known to be a winning organization and Ohtani has said previously that all he wants to do is win. It has been speculated that Ohtani has preferred to remain on the West Coast, so it’s not a major surprise that the teams that have the best odds to land him are on the West Coast. In the end, the Dodgers are definitely one of the teams near the forefront of signing Ohtani with the dominance they have shown in bringing stars to Los Angeles. 

The Texas Rangers had one of the quickest organization turnarounds in recent memory, going from last place in the AL West in 2021 to becoming World Series champions just two seasons later in 2023. As we have heard many times before, Ohtani wants to win. No team exemplifies winning more than the World Series champion Rangers. Multiple reports show that there is mutual interest from both Texas and Ohtani to get this deal done. Ohtani was one of the many players in MLB who got to watch the Rangers go on a historic playoff run to the World Series Trophy from afar. There is no reason why he would not want to be a part of that winning culture. This is not the only year that the Rangers are going to be a competitive playoff and World Series contender. The Rangers’ organization has set that team up with a strong core to be a dominant force in future seasons. Texas’s middle infield includes Marcus Semien and World Series MVP Corey Seager, who are both still in the starting years of their long-term contracts that the Rangers locked in before the 2022 season. The Rangers are building a winning organization and adding Ohtani would only do wonders into keeping them at that status. The bats in this lineup with Adolis García and Evan Carter are dangerous already as seen in the playoffs; adding Ohtani to that would only create more problems for opposing teams. As for pitching, the Rangers could be looking at a starting rotation led by Ohtani and Jacob deGrom by 2025.  If the Rangers sign him, they will be a force for years to come. 

There are so many teams where Ohtani could end up, and wherever he goes, he will change the camaraderie of the organization. It will also impact the free agency market of other players deidicing with teams to sign with. The market is definitely heating up with the winter meetings that are currently happening, but until then, fans will continue to be on the edge of their seats waiting to see where Ohtani signs.