Shohei Ohtani Rumors: ‘Overwhelming Expectation’ Star Signs With This Team

Shohei Ohtani might not end up relocating to a new city after all.

Ohtani will be the focus of the baseball universe until the dual-threat sensation signs the next contract of his big league career. Every team should at least kick the tires on the MLB All-Star, who has set the stage for one of the most compelling free agencies in the history of the sport.

As of last week, the Dodgers were the betting favorite to be Ohtani’s next team. The 2021 American League MVP ending up in Chavez Ravine also is an assumption shared by people around the league, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

“And though the industry’s overwhelming expectation is that he winds up with the Dodgers, that line of thinking is perhaps presumptive,” Passan wrote in a column published Tuesday. “The Dodgers do have advantages: financial, geographical, on-field success. They also have a history of signing large deals — on their terms. And with Ohtani coming off an elbow-ligament surgery in October that will keep him from pitching in 2024 — raising a legitimate question about what his future pitching looks like — the prospect of plopping down a half-billion guaranteed goes against how they traditionally operate.”

Ohtani preferred a West Coast club when he came over to the United States from Japan in 2018. But according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the 29-year-old is less concerned about geography this time around. That’s great news for a team like the Boston Red Sox, who reportedly are expected to pursue Ohtani.

And for what it’s worth, Ohtani “loves visiting Boston” and has a “fondness for Fenway Park,” per Passan.