Shohei Ohtani

Arnab Bose

Can Shohei Ohtani Sign MLB’s First $600M Contract With The New York Yankees?

Shohei Ohtani is the biggest name in the current offseason. Every team in the league is waiting to see where the two-way superstar heads next. There is a good possibility that he won’t return to the Los Angeles Angels. However, there is a good possibility that he might stay in LA anyway. The Los Angeles Dodgers have the best odds to land Ohtani. Albeit, recently, the Toronto Blue Jays have been making a lot of noise. What if the Blue Jays sign the unicorn?

Then Ohtani will break the LA fan’s hearts. There are two other teams with good odds to land the Japanese sensation. They are the Texas Rangers and the Chicago Cubs. Anyway, fans may not need to wait that long to see where Shohei Ohtani heads. Moreover, as expected, Ohtani’s new contract might become the most expensive in MLB’s history.

   

Shohei Ohtani Is On His Way To Sign The Biggest Free Agency Deal In MLB’s History

Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani Source: MLB.com

As per Jon Heyman, the bidding for Shohei Ohtani has already crossed the $500 million mark. Now, Heyman wonders if Ohtani will become the first player in baseball to receive a $600 million contract. If that happens, then the Japanese sensation would certainly break Aaron Judge’s free agent deal record of $360 million. There are five teams – Dodgers, Cubs, Rangers, and Blue Jays who can offer the record-breaking deal, and of course, the Angels can retain him. But as per rumors, there is a mystery franchise that is also up for landing Shohei Ohtani. Is it the Yankees? The Yankee Nation would be so glad if that happened.

But the San Francisco Giants have pretty good odds, too. Now, it is all about Ohtani and where he wants to go. Recently, Jon Morosi, an MLB Network insider, shared information on X (previously called Twitter). Morosi said Shohei Ohtani can decide within the next week about where he is headed. Morosi got the information from a source who has connections with the top end of the market in free agency. Even if this information doesn’t provide much clarity, it will certainly raise the hopes of the contending teams.

Yankees Are A Long Shot To Land The Unicorn

Shohei Ohtani Aaron Judge
Shohei Ohtani Aaron Judge Source: ESPN

The Rangers can be enticing for Shohei Ohtani because they are the current champions. Moreover, any team with a high possibility of making the playoffs in the following seasons has a chance to land the unicorn. It is because the LA Angels never really helped Ohtani get to the playoffs, let alone the World Series. The Sho-Time has been playing in Major League Baseball for the last six years. But with the Angels, he could not achieve what he wanted to as a team.

Hence, the Rangers have a good chance. But at the top of the tree, the Dodgers are the top contender to land him. On the other hand, the New York Yankees have a very slim chance of landing the unicorn. Ohtani might be a big fan of Hideki Matsui, but they don’t have extra cap space to acquire the two-way superstar. However, in a viral video, the fans saw how much Ohtani respects Matsui.