Ohtani wants to win, so where should he go?

[jsnpritchett]

1 minute ago, m0nkey said:

[Deek]

1 hour ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

I actually also heard this from someone who knows him. He said thought Ohtani wants to be one carrying a team to success. This was an Angels person, so maybe a biased opinion or wishful thinking but it didn’t sound made up to me. 

I actually think this carries 66% of the weight of Ohtani’s decision…

 

He’s a different cat… I actually think he values his legacy - as “the man”… as a player who played for a single franchise…

 

He’s rebuffed the Doyers once - and backtracking Kershaw’s butt-hurt comments at the time seems unlikely…

 

The Giants had a ton of money to spend last year, but were unsuccessful - I see them as the front runner if he leaves…

 

Seattle is a distant second… because… it’s freaking Seattle…!

 

 I won’t be surprised at all if he resigns with the Angels (in spite of Arte)…. And I won’t be surprised if he leaves (nor could I blame him)… but if he does leave, I think it’s a two horse race between the Giants and Mariners…

 

I’m hoping Trout returns in the next couple of days and he and Ohtani go on a beast-mode playoff run… but in the more probable likelihood that doesn’t happen - Minasian has done his part… 

 

And I’ll wish Ohtani nothing but the best…

[notherhalo]

Ohtani going back to the Angels will be like the hot girl (9/10) who gets back with the loser (2/10) who can't get his shit together

Only one person will be happy about it 

[ukyah]

7 hours ago, Farmbuildingfan said:

Which teams are nearly guaranteed to make the playoffs every year for the near and intermediate future?

The top three I would guess are the Dodgers, Houston, and  Atlanta.

Are there any  others almost guaranteed to make it?

i can't see any way houston or atlanta would pay for ohtani. the dodgers obviously are easy.

[ELEVEN]

I don't think he takes the highest amount.

Also Pacific time zone games are very accessible in Japan, where endorsements could dwarf whatever monetary difference between contract offers. 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

5 hours ago, Erstad Grit said:

Braves

Atlanta isn't going to tie up that much money in one player. It just isn't their style. They tend to hit free agency more for complimentary pieces than core elements.

Besides, as an owner I can't condone that much spending on one contract.

[Erstad Grit]

1 hour ago, Vegas Halo Fan said:

Atlanta isn't going to tie up that much money in one player. It just isn't their style. They tend to hit free agency more for complimentary pieces than core elements.

Besides, as an owner I can't condone that much spending on one contract.

I imagine Ohtani is suggest an unique player many organizations will act out of character to land him.  I wouldn't be shocked if a team like the pirates put a competitive offer on the table.  

[Angels 1961]

I think he ends up with Seattle. Dodgers would be obvious team. Betts, Freeman, Smith they surround him with all-stars. Playoffs every year just depends on if Dodgers do a 9-to-10-year deal. 

[HeavenlyHalos]

13 hours ago, bloodbrother said:

The problem with that mindset too is that it's just so much harder in baseball for 1 player to make that sort of impact on team success. I mean, we've witnessed Trout go through the same issue here prior and there's many other examples of HOF talents in the past who never had a ton of team success. QB position and NBA(much smaller roster and you play both offense/defense) are about it for where you can really see how much an individual can impact a team and winning

Indeed. Plus, in the NBA, superstars are treated differently. 

[DMVol]

59 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

I think he ends up with Seattle. Dodgers would be obvious team. Betts, Freeman, Smith they surround him with all-stars. Playoffs every year just depends on if Dodgers do a 9-to-10-year deal. 

Very possible....I'd bet on Dodgers or Seattle, with the Angels maybe a long shot.

[Reveille1984]

Who knows at this point.  

Everyone thinks the Dodgers are the obvious choice, but they're very calculated in their moves and Ohtani carries a lot more risk than the average player, even if he is the biggest draw in the sport. Let's be real, his best years have probably already happened and there's no real template for how a guy like him will hold up into his 30's.  Any injury nullifies your best bat as well as an ace level pitcher. 

I feel like it's going to come down to how much he prefers location/comfort versus how badly he wants to win/contract value.  If the Dodgers offer 8/$400M and some wild card like Baltimore offers 10/$500M, where would he go?  If Moreno offers the biggest money contract but LA offers $100M less, does he value a winning franchise more than the cash and comfort level of sticking with the same team?  

I don't think as many teams are going to be falling over themselves to give him half a billion dollars as we're expecting, which somewhat increases the Angels odds since we're in desperation mode to keep him.  I feel like Arte will match whatever his highest offer is, and the only teams that really fit his preference of West Coast/Competitive/Rich are:

SFG - Solid franchise, but not very spendy

LAD - Rich and competitive but risk averse

SEA - More competitive lately but not exactly "winners"

SD - Will have to extend Soto, doubt they'll tack on another $50M AAV after their abomination of a season

 

I'm sure the big spending east coast franchises will get in on the sweepstakes, but I just don't see him going there unless he gets a ridiculous offer.  TEX might be an option honestly that I wouldn't be surprised by.

[LaPalma]

1 hour ago, Angels 1961 said:

I think he ends up with Seattle. Dodgers would be obvious team. Betts, Freeman, Smith they surround him with all-stars. Playoffs every year just depends on if Dodgers do a 9-to-10-year deal. 

I think this is a good fit for his apparent objectives.  Borderline playoff team where he could put them over the top and be the hero.  They can afford it too.  Somewhere he’s spent some time and the fans love him.

As long as it’s not the Yanks or Dodgers.