It's been on everyone's mind for months now; where will Shohei Ohtani sign upon entering free agency? Per, Jon Heyman, the Red Sox could be towards the top of the list of legitimate threats to sign the two-way superstar.
According to Heyman, "Shohei Ohtani and the Red Sox are starting to be linked more and more. One executive with an interested team said he believes they are a real threat."
Heyman is not the first to note the fact that Boston could be a legitimate landing spot for Ohtani. In fact, Will Middlebrooks hinted at it a couple weeks ago.
Ohtani, who is almost guaranteed to secure his second American League MVP award following the season, will be the talk of the offseason and almost undoubtedly receive a record-breaking contract. Ohtani tore his UCL in late August and underwent successful Tommy John surgery in September -- his second Tommy John procedure, his first coming back in 2018.
It was confirmed that Ohtani will not pitch in 2024, only hit, and expects to return to two-way action in 2025, per Dr. Neal ElAttrache who performed the procedure.
Numbers north of $500 to $600 million have been tossed around with ease when discussing the possible contract Ohtani could secure this off-season. Although questions now remain regarding his rehab and ability to return to the same level of play pre-surgery, and while the elbow injury may affect the final price tag on Ohtani, whoever lands Ohtani will have secured one of the greatest athletes to ever play the game.
Could the Red Sox really land Shohei Ohtani? And should they?
Ohtani finished his 2023 season with 44 home runs (fourth in the league), 95 RBI, and a .304/.412/.654 slash line. His 1.066 OPS and .654 slugging percentage led all of Major League Baseball, respectively. On the diamond, he finished with a 10-5 record, 3.14 ERA, 167 strikeouts, 1.06 WHIP and average against of just .184 over 132 innings pitched.
We've never seen anything like Shoehi Ohtani. Period. Adding a guy like him to your roster catipults you into instant championship contention, espeically if paired with other weapons both offensively and in the bullpen. So, is it time for the Red Sox, who have lacked any sort of serious move to acquire all-star talent recently, to open the checkbook to bring in a guy like Ohtani?