Japanese star Shohei Ohtani likely will be pursued by all 30 Major League Baseball clubs once he’s officially posted by the Nippon Ham Fighters, but we probably can take at least one potential suitor off the list.
Ohtani did an interview with MLB.com’s Jon Morosi in February in which he was asked which American cities he’d like to visit. The 23-year-old star noted he’d like to see the Rocky Balboa statue in Philadelphia so one might expect the Phillies would be a potential suitor this offseason.
There’s just one problem: Ohtani apparently had never heard of the Phillies or just flat-out isn’t interested.
Ouch, that’s going to sting.
Ohtani could, of course, still sign with the Phillies now that he’s aware of their existence, but we wouldn’t put them near the top of the list.
It also doesn’t bode well for a lot of small market clubs. If Ohtani hadn’t heard of the Phillies, what are the chances he’s heard of the Milwaukee Brewers? Can’t be high.
