Despite a premature report on Sunday morning that Shohei Ohtani would not be signing at the MLB Winter Meetings, it would seem a decision is near.
It should come as no surprise that the report on Sunday morning from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that suggested superstar free agent Shohei Ohtani may not make a decision at this week’s MLB Winter Meetings may have been inaccurate.
As we mentioned in our coverage of the report, it seemed that Nightengale perceived Ohtani not being at the Winter Meetings as a sign that he won’t be making a decision this week. Reports throughout the weekend have confirmed that Ohtani has been meeting with teams in Los Angeles with the indication being that a decision is near.
Shohei Ohtani is likely to decide on a team within the next week, according to one source engaged with the top end of the free-agent market. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 3, 2023
As all of Major League Baseball gathers in Nashville this week, the belief is that the Ohtani sweepstakes are down to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, and Los Angeles Angels. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that Ohtani has already received multiple offers over $500MM.
” Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is believed to already have received multiple bids well north of $500 million, and some speculate he could even wind up as baseball’s first $600 million man — or come close, at least.”
– New York Post
This is the first time that we’ve heard actual offers have been submitted to Ohtani. The fact that Ohtani’s camp has two offers in hand that are over $500MM, the idea of the two-way superstar taking a short-term, high AAV deal may be off the table.
It’s also possible that Ohtani knows what team he is going to sign with and now it’s a matter of finding the right price. Regardless, it would seem that we are in the final stages of the Ohtani sweepstakes with the Cubs very much still involved.
