What's that, you want more Shohei Ohtani trade talk? Lucky for you, I've got this covered from all angles.
For the most part, Shohei Ohtani's upcoming free agency demands have remained a secret. That's credit to Ohtani's agency and his camp, as most star free agents give a tell or two during the regular season.
It's not secret that Ohtani will demand a large sum of money, and that the Angels seem unlikely to match. The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets have long been considered two of the primary destinations for Ohtani, but both feature a flaw or two. Ohtani is said to value three factors above all else:
The Dodgers fail that test, as a private lifestyle is harder to achieve in Los Angeles. Ohtani knows this better than most, as the Angels are at least partly affiliated with the LA area. The Mets, meanwhile, are not on the West Coast, and thus far Ohtani has failed to give teams in the Eastern time zone much consideration.
The Dodgers will be favored to land Ohtani for obvious reasons, but what if he takes these three factors to heart? Thankfully, several locations live up to the standard.
Shohei Ohtani rumors: Why not the Seattle Mariners?
With the MLB All-Star Game in Seattle, Ohtani is getting an up-front-and-personal look at what it would be like to play for the Mariners. Seattle has already embraced one Japanese star in Ichiro Suzuki, and would surely do the same for Ohtani. Jerry DiPoto is also among the best general managers in the sport, and can find a way to make room on the M's roster for the best player in baseball.
Seattle is out of the spotlight in the Pacific Northwest, and offers Ohtani the chance to win for years to come. Several members of the Mariners' core, including Julio Rodriguez, are signed long-term. DiPoto hasn't been afraid to make a splash in the past, and adding Ohtani would surely be the next in a long line of decision to make the Mariners perennial World Series contenders.
The question remains, though, whether M's ownership is willing to spend up to $600 million on one player. That number would clearly get in the way of negotiations.
Shohei Ohtani rumors: Why not the Padres?
If Ohtani wants a secluded spot on the west coast, then why not San Diego? The Padres have one of the best cores in baseball and all are signed long-term. They have an owner and an aggressive general manager who will spend all the resources at his disposal. Yet, oddly enough, the Pads haven't been mentioned all that often in Ohtani talks.
Josh Hader did what he could to change that in Seattle, discussing why Ohtani should be interested in the Padres to reporters.
"It's San Diego. I mean, do you really need much more than that?" Hader asked. "If you've ever been in San Diego, you know how beautiful it is. It's a fun team. We've got a lot of great guys for long term, so he's a guy that they probably want to lock up for a long-term deal as well, as long as they can find a billion dollars somewhere."
Hader makes a valid point. San Diego is beautiful. It's a small town and a big city at the same time. It's exactly what Ohtani, at least per recent reports, claims to want.
It should be noted that the Padres are struggling this season, which Ohtani surely sees given he plays in close proximity. Preller would have a tougher sell if San Diego can't turn things around this season.
Shohei Ohtani rumors: Why not the San Francisco Giants?
The San Francisco Giants were mentioned as a possible suitor for Ohtani just under a week ago by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Rosenthal specified the Giants as a trade suitor, if the Los Angeles Angels decide to turn the tables and deal Ohtani for a haul, rather than risk losing him for nothing this winter.
As Thomas Carannante of FanSided points out, the Ohtani-Giants fit is all too real:
"It makes perfect sense, too, which makes it all the more troubling. Ohtani's reported desire is to remain on the west coast, so that already helps the Giants. Secondly, Farhan Zaidi has a ton of money to spend thanks to a flexible payroll. Thirdly, the Giants might actually appeal to Ohtani because they've remained competitive despite not possessing a single "star" by league-wide standards."
If Ohtani values living on the west coast, San Francisco offers that. Farhan Zaidi is also devoted to creating a winning ballclub every season. And while the Bay Area itself is a large market, northern California offers plenty of areas to get away, such as Napa Valley. Ohtani owning a winery? Sign me up.
All jokes aside, the Giants, Padres and Mariners are all second-tier suitors at best for Ohtani, as the Dodgers have been preparing for this winter for quite some time. They will be the favorites, but don't sleep on these small-market suitors.