MLB’s annual Winter Meetings are wrapping up in Nashville and it feels like we are getting closer to finding out where Shohei Ohtani might end up.
The Yankees pulled off the biggest move of the offseason, completing a seven-player trade with the Padres that brought Juan Soto to New York. That move will be long forgotten as soon as Ohtani makes his decision.
Chris Russo quite loudly complained on ESPN’s First Take about how Shohei Ohtani has allegedly chosen to handle his free agency period. In the midst of his verbal tirade, Russo compared “the atomic bomb” to the way teams are privately dealing with the two-time American League MVP from Japan.
He even complained about not knowing the name of the dog who was by Ohtani’s side while accepting his second American League MVP trophy.
“The fact that we’re even discussing this is a complete joke,” Russo began. “This Ohtani scenario sweepstakes, did you know when he won the MVP he wouldn’t even tell you what his dog’s name was? Because he had his dog there when he won the American League MVP. Anybody who pays Ohtani $600 million needs their heads examined anyway.”
“What is the big secret?! Jeez! He’s a free agent! He’s talked to six teams,” Russo ranted. “What is this, the atomic bomb? We’re not allowed to find out? This is baseball! He’s a celebrity! This is what it’s about. This is stupid, that somehow, someway, if you reveal that you had a breakfast with Ohtani, you should be basically thrown out with the bathwater.”
Terrible choice of words.
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Ohtani has been most heavily linked to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Toronto Blue Jays this offseason.
While the Yankees have had discussions with Ohtani’s camp, the two-time MVP “couldn’t see himself playing in New York, which is also what he told the Yankees six years ago before signing with the Angels,” a clubhouse source told Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Ohtani has been brilliant across his six-year career and is coming off a 2023 season that saw him go on to win his second MVP award. He slashed .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs, 95 RBI, and 20 stolen bases, in addition to going 10-5 on the mound with a 3.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings across 23 starts.
Ohtani underwent elbow surgery in September and isn’t expected to return to pitching until 2025.
