MLB Odds: Toronto Blue among the teams linked to Shohei Ohtani
The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes have been underway since this time last year. The free agent superstar is expected to sign the biggest contract in baseball history and with a return to the L.A. Angels highly unlikely, the biggest off-season question in baseball is where will Ohtani sign?
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Shohei Ohtani
The 29-year-old Ohtani is rarer than a one-in-a-generation player. As one of the best pitchers and hitters in baseball, he’s possibly the most diverse athlete in North American sports right now. Ohtani won his second American League MVP this season despite tearing a ligament in his pitching elbow late in the year. He made 23 starts on the mound in 2023, posting a 10-5 record with a 3.14 ERA, 1.061 WHIP and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings pitched. Ohtani also finished with a career-best .304 batting average while leading the American League with 44 homers to go along with 95 RBI in 135 games.
And while Ohtani won’t pitch in 2024 after undergoing elbow surgery in September, he’s expected to be ready to hit by Opening Day.
Los Angeles Dodgers (-135)
The Dodgers remain the favourites to land Ohtani. It makes sense given Ohtani already lives in L.A., the Dodgers are perennial World Series contenders, they have the money to make it work and they have a history of landing big name players through trade and free agency. The Dodgers actually tried to sign Ohtani out of high school and later when he first came to MLB. The team’s winning culture could be key as Ohtani has said being on a contending team is what’s most important to him. The money and lack of relocation is icing on the cake.
Toronto Blue Jays (+300)
The Blue Jays emerged as a serious contender for Ohtani this week after it was reported he has liked previous stops in Toronto and the team wants to make a big move in the off-season. The biggest hurdle for Toronto is the value of the Canadian dollar, but with a corporate ownership group, the money is there to pay Ohtani if GM Ross Atkins and President Mark Shapiro can convince ownership they need Ohtani to be legit World Series contenders over the next few years.
Signing Ohtani also means the Blue Jays will need to move on from Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., or both. Bichette and Guerrero will each be due huge paydays in the near future and it seems impossible for Toronto to have both players plus Ohtani on the payroll.
Texas Rangers (+1600)
You have to put the World Series winners on the list of bidders for Ohtani. Multiple reports have said there is mutual interest between Texas and Ohtani and it’s easy to see why. The Rangers have a strong core in place for the foreseeable future and they are nearly $50 million below the luxury tax threshold for 2024, so they have money to spend. The downside is Texas’ glaring need for help in the pitching rotation and Ohtani can’t help with that at all next season. The money it would cost the Rangers to sign Ohtani might be better used elsewhere.