The Dodgers and Mets should be considered favorites for superstar free agent Shohei Ohtani, one rival exec opined.
He is not alone in this thinking. They’re the teams most obviously willing to spend — though many teams would spend on the one-of-a-kind mega-star.
Mets owner Steve Cohen saw Ohtani play WBC games in Japan, GM Billy Eppler signed Ohtani as Angels GM, and the in-house belief is the Mets will go big for Ohtani.
The Dodgers cleared big payroll partly to set themselves up for Ohtani, it’s believed.
The big question is whether Ohtani would consider New York. Five years ago, five of his seven finalists were West Coast teams (exceptions: Cubs, Rangers) and sources say he told the Yankees he couldn’t envision himself in New York. (His handlers say that doesn’t necessarily hold now).
The Padres’ January call on Juan Soto regarding a possible extension went nowhere, and it seems the Padres are pondering whether to dive in with a winning offer — likely $500 million, or more; say 14 years at $40M per — before Soto shows he’s the same player who dominated with the Nationals. (Of course, Soto’s agent Scott Boras also doesn’t often give up free agency for superstars.)
One thing to keep an eye on: Soto allegedly prefers to bat third (to see more pitches before stepping into the box), and he sometimes bats second in San Diego.
Star Padres closer Josh Hader is believed open to extension talk.
The Pirates need to figure out how to bridge the opt-out issue that’s the hurdle in extension talks with star center fielder Bryan Reynolds. Reynolds, who’s in the top two in the NL with five homers and 14 RBIs (he’s one HR behind Pete Alonso and leads in RBIs), seems willing to stay a Pirate, and an extension would be a coup for the beaten-down Pirates, who are off to a hot start.
Sources say the Pirates are showing a willingness to move money around in the $100M, seven-year extension discussion held up by Reynolds request for an opt-out after Year 4. It’s understandable why the Pirates don’t want to do that as they already have him controlled for three years.
The Bucs also said no on a full no-trade. Opt-outs are dangerous, but considering the fair financial terms a no-trade clause feels like a fair compromise. If something isn’t done soon, they may need to table it.
Good job by the Cubs to delay Ian Happ’s free agency by three years. Though he isn’t the center fielder Brandon Nimmo is, they got him for $101M less. Can’t blame anyone for wanting to stay in Chicago, though.