Where Will Shohei Ohtani Land Next Season?

If you had to piece together the perfect baseball player, how would you do it? Maybe take the speed of Elly De La Cruz, combine it with Pete Alonso’s strength, a little of Mookie Betts’ intangibles, and a dose of Ronald Acuna Jr.'s hitting ability. That just might be the perfect MLB player.

 

Or, you could just clone Shohei Ohtani.

 

There hasn’t been a talent like Ohtani in well, maybe, never. He has elevated his game to one where he is continually in the running for the AL Triple Crown. He can hit for power. He can hit for average. Then, there is his pitching ability, which will take a break in 2024 as Ohtani recovers from surgery on a torn UCL. 

 

This baseball offseason, Ohtani will be the most sought-after free agent in all sports. It will be similar to the summer of 2010 when LeBron James was a free agent and wound up in Miami with a giant contract. It’ll be the same for Ohtani. 

 

Believe it or not, there are odds on the size of Ohtani’s next contract. You can bet the Over at $500.5 million at -125 odds. Or, you can bet Under $500.5 million at -105 odds. 

 

The Angels star is one of the finalists for the AL MVP. The elbow injury was thought to be a detriment to Ohtani commanding $500 million, but he is a once-in-a-lifetime player. He has said he will pitch in 2024, which is why the Angels will do their best to keep their star.

 

 Ohtani is likely to stay in Los Angeles…just not with the Angels. The Dodgers are the current betting favorites to land Ohtani’s services. The Dodgers cleared enough payroll space to add a superstar like Ohtani. They may have done so just to get him. 

Ohtani has expressed his desire to play for a team that can get to the World Series. The Dodgers certainly meet that criteria. The only problem is that they could use a pitcher right now more than a hitter. As it stands, the Dodgers are still the overall favorite to land Ohtani at +115. 

 

If not LA, Ohtani could end up in San Francisco. The Giants are on the betting board at +1100 to snag Ohtani. The Giants were in the thick of the NL playoff race until late in the second half of the season when it all fell apart. They could use a power hitter like Ohtani and have enough quality pitching to get them through 2024. 

 

The Chicago Cubs hold the second-best odds to land Ohtani at +350.  The Texas Rangers have the third-best odds to sign Ohtani (+650) after holding the sixth-best odds (+900). The Toronto Blue Jays have the fourth-best odds (+700) after previously being tied for 11th (+2000).

The Yankees (+1200) and Mets (+900) missed the postseason last year. The Mets did it after going wild in last year’s offseason but their spending didn’t pay off.  Will they be more cautious this time around?

 

The Yankees already have some of the top sluggers in baseball. It’s well-known that the Yanks don’t care about spending. They routinely have one of MLB’s highest payrolls. Imagine a lineup with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Ohtani.

 

It would be a big surprise if Ohtani remains with the Angels. Still, the Halos are given +2000 odds to keep him. He’d return with Mike Trout, but the Angels are still searching for a new manager to replace Phil Nevin.