Shohei Ohtani might be the best baseball player to ever walk the face of the earth. He’s a threat to mash 40 bombs a year and is coming off a season in which he finished fourth in the AL Cy Young race. We’ve never seen a player like him before, and he’s set to test the open market if he doesn’t sign a contract extension with the Angels before the end of the season, which seems unlikely at this point.
Here are the odds for Ohtani’s next team, according to Odds Shark.
Shohei Ohtani next team odds:
NY Mets +300
CHI Cubs +500
NY Yankees +600
SD Padres +600
LA Dodgers +600
ATL Braves +1000
STL Cardinals +1200
TOR Blue Jays +2000
HOU Astros +2000
PHI Phillies +2000
SF Giants +2000
SEA Mariners +2500
CLE Guardians +2500
CHI White Sox +3300 pic.twitter.com/fGSGgqaMUy— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) March 24, 2023
One would think the Mets will do everything in their power to lure Ohtani to the big apple. Cohen might throw a billion dollars at him without blinking, and given Ohtani’s desire to win, you have to think he would be keen on joining a team whose owner is just as committed to winning.
The Dodgers are the team I’m keeping a close eye on. They’ve cut down on their spending, but it feels like we are in the eye of the storm. They were almost too quiet this offseason, knowing what might be available to them a year from now.
The Padres also shouldn’t be counted out. They are another team in Southern California that are poised to be competitive for a long time, and they apparently have limitless funds to spend on players. The Padres reportedly offered Aaron Judge well over $400 million before he signed with the Yankees. I imagine they will make an even more lucrative offer to Ohtani.
The Braves are an intriguing team at 10/1. Even though they have shown more willingness to spend in recent years, they’ve never been interested in handing out mega-contracts. However, would they change that line of thinking for Ohtani?
If he wants to, Ohtani will reset the market entirely. There’s no reason to believe he won’t receive a 10+ year deal worth at least $500 million. Someone will give it to him, if not multiple teams, and it’s fair to wonder if Ohtani is worth far more than that.
Not only has Ohtani become the most valuable player on the planet, but in a sport that is having difficulties getting casual fans more interested, Ohtani is the definition of box office. When the Angels go on the road, he automatically becomes the biggest show in the city.
Whoever lands Ohtani is getting more than just a baseball player. They are getting a superstar that comes with an entire country standing behind him. People will fly thousands of miles to see this man play. Attendance skyrockets, ticket prices spike, and merchandise sales would be meteoric.
The financial ramifications of having a player like Ohtani would be incredibly positive and noticeable. He will be worth every penny of his next contract, so it will be intriguing to see just how much cash some teams throw at him.
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Photo: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
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