“It sucks to lose. [I want] to win,” Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani said through his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara in July.
Unfortunately, wins have been hard to come by for the star two-way player in Los Angeles. Leaving one question on every fan and bettor’s mind: Will Ohtani leave the Angels?
MLB free agency opened on Monday, so the sweepstakes to land him is officially on.
The odds always tell a story, so let’s dive into the current teams favored to land the unicorn.
SHOHEI OHTANI’S 2024 TEAM ODDS*
Los Angeles Dodgers: +100 (bet $10 to win $20 total)
San Francisco Giants: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
New York Mets: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
Chicago Cubs: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
New York Yankees: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Texas Rangers: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Seattle Mariners: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Boston Red Sox: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)
Los Angeles Angels: +1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total)
Philadelphia Phillies: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Toronto Blue Jays: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
San Diego Padres: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Any other team: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
* odds as of 11/8/2023
Ohtani isn’t just the biggest fish in this year’s free agency pool, but the biggest free agent the sport has ever seen. After another historic regular season with the Angels, the two-way superstar is rumored to receive not only the most enormous contract in league history but the largest in the history of North American sports.
His play in 2023 certainly helped him earn it. He hit .304 with 1.066 OPS with 44 homers and 95 RBIs. He also proved his worth as a pitcher, going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA, helping him become a clear favorite to win his second AL MVP in three seasons despite missing most of the season’s final month.
Ohtani did undergo surgery to repair the torn UCL in his pitching elbow in September. While he should be able to hit by the start of next season, pitching is probably out of the question.
That hasn’t seemed to deter teams from pursuing the star. Let’s dive into some rumored landing spots for Ohtani with thoughts from FOX Sports’ MLB experts.
Dodgers +100
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the current favorites to land Ohtani this offseason. The Dodgers have long been rumored to be Ohtani’s next destination, dating back to when he was involved in trade rumors before the deadline this past July.
FOX Sports MLB Analyst and “Flippin’ Bats” host Ben Verlander is among the many who also view the Dodgers as the favorite to get Ohtani.
“It just makes the most sense,” Verlander recently wrote. “In this scenario, Ohtani stays in Southern California, where he is extremely comfortable. But he also goes to a team that actually competes for the postseason year in and year out and is constantly good enough to win 100 games in the regular season.”
In addition to Verlander, three other FOX Sports’ MLB writers picked the Dodgers to be the team that signs Ohtani.
FOX Sports MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal shared similar sentiments on the matter.
“The Dodgers, I still believe, are the favorites for Ohtani,” Rosenthal said on “Foul Territory.” “I actually believe they need Ohtani.”
Giants +550
It’s long been speculated that Ohtani would prefer to remain on the West Coast due to the proximity to Japan and the easier access his fans back in his native country would have to watch him play. So, it’s not a major surprise that the teams with the two best odds are both West Coast squads.
FOX Sports MLB Analyst Jordan Shusterman likes the Giants to land him.
“Dodgers, Giants and Rangers. The Cubs are my wild-card pick. I’ll go Giants, just to pick a team other than the Dodgers,” Shusterman wrote.
However, Verlander doesn’t view San Francisco as much of a contender to land Ohtani.
“I don’t think the San Francisco Giants will be the serious players that many, myself included at points, have thought,” Verlander wrote. “It comes down to whether the Giants are an Ohtani away from being World Series champions. I don’t think they are, and I doubt Ohtani would either. The Giants have been speculated about a ton as a potential Ohtani destination, and they have the money to pull this off. I just don’t think they will.”
Mets +700
New York’s National League team has long been viewed as a possible landing spot for Ohtani because of owner Steve Cohen’s willingness to spend.
Over the last few months, Rosenthal has stated that he views the Mets as a contender for Ohtani, too.
“I cannot rule out the Mets. I cannot see [Mets owner] Steve Cohen simply passing on Shohei Ohtani,” Rosenthal recently said on “Foul Territory.”
FOX Sports MLB Writer Deesha Thosar also believes the Mets will give Ohtani the highest offer this offseason.
Cubs +700
Don’t look now, but the Cubs are making some moves, and oddsmakers have taken notice, as the club made a major climb up the oddsboard on Wednesday. The Cubbies opened at +1500 to land him, which tied for the eighth-highest odds, before climbing up to +700 within a few hours.
The shift in odds came shortly after USA Today reported that “several” general managers believe the Cubs “may be the most aggressive team” to try and land Ohtani.
Verlander also views the Cubs as a darkhorse candidate, ranking them second in his list of landing spots for the superstar.
“My argument for the Cubs also has to do with what they just did — steal Craig Counsell away from the division rival Milwaukee Brewers with the most expensive managerial contract in MLB history,” Verlander wrote. “Do I think the Cubs planned to make a move like that and then just sit back, especially given the franchise they are and the market they play in? Absolutely not; I believe they will make a big splash this offseason.”
Shusterman also called the Cubs his “wild-card pick.”
New York Yankees +750
The Yankees were also named as a potential suitor for Ohtani recently by USA Today. New York is looking to win its first World Series since 2009, and adding Ohtani would go a long way toward making that happen.
Yankees hall of famer Derek Jeter on the greatness of Shohei Ohtani
Texas Rangers +900
Some might think the reigning World Series champions might not need the game’s best player. But four of FOX Sports’ MLB writers think the Rangers will be finalists in the Ohtani sweepstakes.
“The fact that the Cubs and Rangers were both among the finalists the first time he was available tells you that he’d at least consider being somewhere other than the West Coast,” Rowan Kavner wrote.
“I think the Rangers will be interesting to Ohtani since they just won the World Series,” Thosar added.
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