The Ohtani Sweepstakes, Part Three: Finding the Lesser of Three Evils

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The MLB offseason is well underway, with the baseball world eagerly awaiting the free agent decision of Shohei Ohtani. There’s a chance that the Japanese phenom is the biggest free agent of all time. Where do you think he will go? As discussed in previous articles, the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners remain distant dark horse options.

Realistically, the big market teams in New York and Los Angeles remain the most likely options to land the two-way star. The New York Yankees have pretty much always had the biggest payroll in the Major Leagues, but in recent years, the New York Mets have actually surpassed them. The Los Angeles Dodgers and a few other teams have spent a comparable amount of money as well. Ohtani’s personal preference will be the most important factor, of course, because many teams will be willing to match his price tag.

Let’s take a look at the three biggest market teams in the league, and determine which landing spot would be the best. By best, I mostly mean least aggravating.

Worst landing spot: Los Angeles Dodgers

Nobody wants to see this happen. The Dodgers have shelled out all kinds of coin recently, wrangling in the likes of Freddie Freeman, Trea Turner, and J.D. Martinez in recent years. Ohtani has already been playing in the Los Angeles (area) for the last 6 years, so this move would likely mean that he’s comfortable with where he’s at.

The Dodgers have probably overtaken the Yankees as that annoying team that buys whoever they want, and this move would easily take the cake. I think most Major League fans outside of Los Angeles would hate to see this move.

The worst move for Shohei: New York Mets

If Ohtani is looking for a team that is similarly disappointing as his former team, he should look no further than the Mets. The Mets have a tendency to fall flat on their face after going all in to compete. In 2023, they had the highest payroll in the Major Leagues, and then proceeded to finish 75-87. They signed free agents Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer last off-season, only to dish them off in trade deadline moves.

A perfect example of the ineptitude that this franchise exhibits is the fact that they owe over $1 million every year to Bobby Bonilla, an outfielder who hasn’t been on their team since 1999. Ohtani already dealt with a poorly run team with the Angels, who didn’t make the playoffs a single time in his tenure. It would be much better for the sport if we can all see the game’s best player on the biggest stage.

Not great, but more tolerable in 2023

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the Yankees wouldn’t be a terrible landing spot for Ohtani. The Yankees hit rock bottom in 2023, failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Also, as payrolls rise among other MLB teams, they aren’t as hate-able as they have been in years’ past. Now they are just one of 5 or 6 teams that spend a lot of money, instead of being the runaway biggest spender.

It would be pretty cool to see Ohtani and Aaron Judge hit back to back, wouldn’t it? Talk about a ton of power. I still don’t want this to happen, but the Yankees wouldn’t be as bad for the sport as him going to the Dodgers or Mets.

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