Back on Thursday, slugger and ace pitcher Shohei Ohtani won the American League MVP award for the second time in his career and the second time in the past three seasons. The fact he won it unanimously wasn't shocking, considering how well he played while standing on the mound and in the batter's box before an injury late in the season sidelined him for the rest of the campaign. Now, he is set to become a free agent, and there is a lot of talk as to what kind of contract he could sign and who would be the lucky team to acquire the two-way superstar.
There is apparently one team that has been ruled out -- the Seattle Mariners.
MLB.com's Daniel Kramer reports that "industry sources" have told the outlet signing Ohtani "doesn't appear to be within the Mariners' realistic agenda this offseason."
Signing Shohei Ohtani reportedly not in Mariners' 'realistic agenda'
Kramer listed possible reasons as to why the Mariners aren't expected to sign the two-time AL MVP away from their rivals, the Los Angeles Angels, which included Ohtani's price tag and filling needs across their roster.
There is a lot of uncertainty about where Ohtani prefers to sign and what kind of contract he's looking for. The teams linked to Ohtani thus far have been the Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers. While the expectation is that Ohtani could command upwards of $500 million in total money on a long-term contract, there'sreportedly a belief he would be open to signing a short-term deal, but with a high annual salary.
Ohtani will meet with teams this winter, but there is a catch -- we probably won't hear about it. The superstar reportedly wants to keep these meetings private, and he will hold it against teams if it is made public.
Mariners fans have been pushing for Ohtani to sign with them, even dating back to this past season's All-Star Game. As a batter, Ohtani slashed .250/.348/.507 while recording 17 home runs, 48 RBI and 72 hits. As a pitcher, Ohtani posted a 1.87 ERA, a 5-0 win-loss record, a 1.000 WHIP, 66 strikeouts, and 16 walks in 53.0 innings.
While it's every fans' dream to steal one of their hated rivals best players, it doesn't seem to be a realistic plan for the Mariners this offseason. We should find out where Ohtani signs in the near future.
