Seattle Mariners Fans Continue to Try to Woo Shohei Ohtani to Emerald City
Give credit to the Seattle Mariners fans. They are relentless in their pursuit of free agent Shohei Ohtani.
Earlier this fall, they shot their shot with baseball's biggest free agent during a broadcast of "College Gameday" at the University of Washington.
Now? They've taken their efforts to Thursday Night Football. The following sign appeared during the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers game during Thanksgiving night.
It was posted by Steph Chambers of Getty Images:
A fan holds a Shohei Ohtani sign before the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field on November 23, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
While reports have indicated that the Mariners aren't seriously pursuing Ohtani, fans will undoubtedly appreciate the hustle.
The most exciting player in the game, Ohtani hit .304 this year with 44 homers and 95 RBI. He did all of that while only getting 497 at-bats this year, missing time at the end of the season with oblique and elbow injuries. He also stole 20 bases and won his second American League MVP Award in three years.
The Mariners' offense really scuffled at times in 2023 and is likely to lose Teoscar Hernandez in free agency, so they could truly benefit from Ohtani's middle-of-the-order presence. They also just traded Eugenio Suarez away. Seattle missed the playoffs by one game this season and Ohtani would be a game-changing addition.
Unfortunately, because of his elbow injury, he can't pitch until 2025. He was dominant on the mound as well this year, going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA.
A report on where Ohtani does sign could be coming in the next few days.
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