All eyes are on the two-way sensation, Shohei Ohtani as the Los Angeles Angels star is set to become a free agent on November 5, 2023.
As the 2023 World Series reaches its thrilling conclusion, speculation about Ohtani’s future is reaching a fever pitch.
Ohtani’s choice of destination is not merely about money, as many teams are ready to break the bank for his services.
It’s about his aspirations, his vision for the future, and perhaps, most significantly, his willingness to embrace the New York limelight.
While the New York Mets have emerged as a potential landing spot with their deep pockets and owner Steve Cohen’s commitment to spending big, the question that looms large is, “Does Ohtani want to deal with all that being in New York entails?”
ESPN’s venerable baseball columnist, Jeff Passan, has entered the conversation with his sage insights.
According to Passan, the Mets are primed to be significant players in the Ohtani sweepstakes.
Their financial clout and Cohen’s open-wallet policy make them an attractive proposition.
But, as Passan astutely points out, New York offers a radically different lifestyle compared to Ohtani’s cozy setup with the Angels.
With the Angels, Ohtani enjoyed a degree of insulation from the relentless media scrutiny and the incessant demands of the New York media market. He had the freedom to chart his course, away from the intense spotlight that comes with playing in the Big Apple.
The Mets’ pursuit of the Japanese phenom raises legitimate concerns about how he would adapt to the pressure cooker of Queens.
On the Mets and Shohei Ohtani, from @JeffPassan (via @JacobKaye_):
"I think the Mets are going to be right in the middle of things. They have the most money, they have the owner who is most willing to spend. Accordingly, they should be there. The question is, does Ohtani want to… pic.twitter.com/vax8GlBWxR
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) October 24, 2023
Could Ohtani seamlessly transition from the West Coast tranquility to the hustle and bustle of the East Coast?
For the Mets, courting Ohtani is a no-brainer. He is arguably the most gifted baseball player of all time, and Steve Cohen is on a mission to assemble a team of top-tier talent. The allure of having Ohtani in their ranks is undeniable.
In a career that has spanned six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Shohei Ohtani boasts a .274 batting average, with 681 hits, 171 home runs, 437 RBIs, and 428 runs scored.
Ohtani’s journey to greatness began long before he donned the Angels’ uniform.
Back in Japan, he made waves as the first pitcher out of high school to deliver a 1-0 shutout victory.
His dual-threat prowess extended to his hitting, where he became the first hitter out of high school to notch two shutout victories in his first two years in the Nippon Professional Baseball league (NPB).
Ohtani’s double-duty dominance was evident even before he crossed the Pacific.
Upon his arrival in the MLB, Shohei Ohtani continued to defy expectations. He emerged as the first player ever to qualify for the league leaders as both a hitter and a pitcher in the same season.
In 2021, he etched his name in the annals of baseball history by becoming the first player in MLB history to be selected as an All-Star as both a pitcher and a hitter.
The 2021 season was a year of many firsts for Ohtani. He became the first player in MLB history to achieve the combination of 10+ pitching wins and 30+ home runs in the same season.
Before gracing the MLB stage, Ohtani honed his skills in his homeland, playing for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters from 2013 through 2017.
It was there that he earned the ultimate honor in Japanese baseball, winning the 2016 Japan Series with the Fighters.
His remarkable journey then brought him to the Los Angeles Angels, where he signed on after the 2017 season and quickly made his mark, securing the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year Award.
