Shohei Ohtani Set To Meet with Teams This Weekend As Free Agency Decision Looms
Los Angeles, CA (PSF) — Shohei Ohtani’s Free Agency may be coming to a close within the next week.
Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reported that Two-Time American League MVP Shohei Ohtani will be meeting with teams in Los Angeles this weekend as the final stretch of negotiations, which will likely precede his final free agency decision. With that meeting in mind, many speculate that Ohtani’s decision will come by the end of Winter Meetings.
The eerie silence around Ohtani’s free agency has every baseball fan on the edge of their seats awaiting his decision. Per the request of Ohtani and his camp, his free agency process has been kept under wraps and inside information about the process has not been shared, meaning that all writers, fans, and executives alike can do is speculate. A bonafide two-way superstar like no other, Ohtani, 29, is not only the best player in baseball but one of the premier athletes in all of sports.
As fans await his decision, no fanbases are more attentive to this situation than Dodgers, Cubs, Blue Jays, Angels, and Giants fans, who, according to Jeff Passan, are the teams in the mix to acquire his services.
Each scenario would likely play out a little differently.
If the Dodgers signed Ohtani, they would instantly become the most talented, dangerous, and formidable team on paper, and would likely be the runaway favorites to win the 2024 World Series.
If the Blue Jays signed him, they would create a formidable offensive core of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and Shohei Ohtani, likely solidifying their jump to a presumed World Series contender and creating a “superteam” in the AL.
If the Cubs or Giants signed Ohtani, the addition would be the Star and Face of the Franchise that these organizations desperately need, and would likely only be the start of many additions in an offseason where the Cubs and Giants work to become contenders again, like they were in the last decade.
If the Angels were able to retain Ohtani, the Angels would likely adjust their mindset to building around Ohtani and Trout once again, and attempt once again to build a team that can finally attain the elusive playoff berth.
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Winter Meetings are scheduled to start on December 3rd, and end on December 6th. It seems likely that Ohtani will be signed by the end of these meetings.
An interesting scenario that may play out as well is the fallout post-Ohtani signing. The team that is able to land him may be the most aggressive team at Winter Meetings in terms of negotiations with free agents and trades, to try and bolster their roster alongside Ohtani.
For those who miss out on the two-way mega-star, they will likely pivot to other top free agents such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, and a trade pursuit of San Diego’s Juan Soto. Dominoes will likely fall fast after Ohtani signs, as teams will either be scrambling to appease him with roster additions, or picking up the pieces after missing out on him.
For now, everyone remains in the dark. However, clarity about the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes seem to be visible, and the saga will likely come to a conclusion in a week’s time. Once one shoe drops, the other likely will as well.
It’s shaping up to be an exciting week of Winter Meetings. The landscape of the MLB will seemingly never be the same after Ohtani’s free agency reaches its conclusion.
