Over on ESPN+, Buster Olney penned an interesting article on possible suitors for Shohei Ohtani.
Note, this is only regarding Ohtani’s free agency. As of May 29, the Los Angeles Angels are two games over .500. Barring the Angels completely bottoming out and receiving an offer they can’t refuse, Ohtani will likely remain an Angel for the rest of 2023.
There are obvious favorites. The Los Angeles Dodgers trimmed their payroll by around 15% this season to presumably put themselves in a better financial position to bid on Ohtani. The two New York teams, especially Steve Cohen and the deep-pocketed Mets, will be in the discussion. Angels owner Arte Moreno could also shock the world and pay up to retain his star two-way player.
The Phillies do not belong in the category of “obvious favorites.” They are not even a second-tier favorite like the San Diego Padres or Chicago Cubs, who have spring training facilities in Arizona and a history of both courting players from Asian countries and signing free agents to big contracts.
Olney did put the Phillies and Boston Red Sox in the “a pair of potential players” category. The veteran baseball writer notes that the Phillies may not have the appetite to carry a more than half billion dollar contract on the books with so many other big deals already on the payroll. Bryce Harper and Trea Turner both signed for at least $300 million. Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Zack Wheeler are all $100 million-dollar players.
A talent evaluator pointed out to Olney that Wheeler and Aaron Nola are set to become free agents within the next two years and the Phillies could look to Ohtani to fill a potential void at the top of the rotation.
Make of it what you will, but if John Middleton says his goal is to build one of the greatest teams in baseball history, he should at least try to sign the greatest player in baseball history:
It’s an interesting read that you should check out if you have ESPN+. Outside of Olney’s list of teams, executives commented on the amount of preparation it takes to get a pitch ready for a free agent like Ohtani. There’s no doubt that the Phillies have the cash to be serious players in the bidding for Ohtani, but does being an east-coast club with almost no history of signing players from Asian countries put them at a huge disadvantage relative to other clubs? Absolutely. It’s something worth delving into in the future once the “Winter of Ohtani” commences.
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