Red Sox Reportedly Not Among Favorites To Sign Shohei Ohtani; Could Things Change?

The Boston Red Sox are surely going to be busy ahead of the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline and this upcoming offseason as the club looks to get back in contention, but it sounds like they may not land one of the best players of all time.

Los Angeles Angeles two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is set to be a free agent after the 2023 season and many have been speculating about where he'll land before this season even began. What Ohtani is doing is unheard of and therefore he's going to without a doubt command the largest free agent contract in MLB history. At this point, it seems as though the Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants reportedly are the frontrunners for Ohtani's services, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

"Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani hasn’t revealed his intentions, but some see three teams as most likely to vie for baseball’s best player, maybe ever: Dodgers, Giants, and the incumbent Angels," Heyman said. "(There’s a belief he isn’t all about money and will get the biggest contract ever anyway, and that he wants to win and may prefer the West Coast).

"The Dodgers cleared the financial room and are the most consistent winners. The Angels intend to try to re-sign him, although they may need to show Ohtani they can make the playoffs. The Giants have the $360M left from the Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa pursuits and are in excellent shape financially (and maybe in even better shape with the A’s almost sure to be leaving for Las Vegas)."

Ohtani immediately will improve whatever team he lands on this upcoming offseason. He's currently leading baseball in home runs with 29 and RBIs with 66, third in strikeouts with 127, and has pitched to a 3.02 ERA this season. Simply put, he is one of the best hitters and pitchers in all of baseball. He likely will command a contract worth at least $500 million in total.

Red Sox Nation has been making it know its affinity for Ohtani -- like most fan bases -- but at this point, a move seems unlikely. That doesn't mean that things couldn't change as it's just June. Ohtani's future is one of if not the biggest storylines in baseball. His future plans likely will continue to make the news until he ultimately chooses where he'll play in 2024.

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