Some MLB teams haven’t made too many major moves because they are waiting on Shohei Ohtani.
The two-time MVP talked with a number of teams and, according to recent reports, is nearing a decision.
MLB insider Jon Morosi, specifically, said an announcement could come as early as Friday.
“Source: Shohei Ohtani’s decision is imminent, possibly as early as today,” he tweeted on Friday morning.
Source: Shohei Ohtani’s decision is imminent, possibly as early as today. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 8, 2023
Those who pursued Ohtani are waiting on his announcement because the rest of their offseasons will likely hinge on whether they got him or not.
Recent reports suggest that there are only a handful of finalists: the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Toronto Blue Jays, the San Francisco Giants, and the Los Angeles Angels are thought to be the only horses left in the race.
Of those four, the Dodgers and Blue Jays appear to have the best odds at the historic signing.
When Ohtani finally announces his fate, there will be heavy attention towards Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Cody Bellinger, and the rest of the unsigned, top free agents.
Ohtani won his second MVP award just a few days ago, after hitting 44 home runs with 95 RBI, a .304 batting average, and a 1.066 OPS as a hitter and a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts as a pitcher.
His contract is expected to comfortably surpass $500 million, and could even push $600 million.
We appear to be just a few hours from finding out.
There will be one lucky organization whose destiny will change forever, and a handful of contenders who will have to pivot to other targets.
The post Insider Drops Massive Shohei Ohtani Update Friday appeared first on The Cold Wire.