We are continuing to get closer and closer to Shohei Ohtani’s decision in free agency, and we have the latest update per Buster Olney of ESPN. Olney recently spoke to TSN1050, and said Ohtani already knows where he wants to sign, and has known for a long time. Olney also added that he thinks the Dodgers are still the favorite.
“Talking to people who know Ohtani, they think he’s already made his decision,” Olney said. “They think he knows where he wants to go and has for a long time.”
Via TSN1050
Olney added that he thinks Ohtani’s agent is doing this for leverage, but Ohtani has just been waiting to sign with the team he’s wanted all along.
Now, if that’s true, it’s hard to picture that being a team that’s not the Dodgers. Obviously, we don’t know what Ohtani wants, but the few things we do know — he wants to win and six years ago he wanted to be on the West Coast — add up to landing with the Dodgers.
Ohtani to the Dodgers has long felt like the worst kept secret in baseball, but it was always hard to be sure considering the fact that Ohtani is a very private person.
However, all signs have pointed to the Dodgers for a long time, and nothing that’s been said or done this offseason have made people think otherwise.
The latest report makes it sound like it’s down to the Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays, as the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners all appear to be out of the running.
The Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants seem to still be trying to land Ohtani, but at this point, it’s hard to know who really has a shot.
If Ohtani has wanted to play for the Dodgers all along, it sounds like that announcement could be coming soon. However, until we hear from Ohtani, himself, we’ll continue to anxiously await his decision.
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