Despite being in the thick of the postseason, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani’s impending free agency is still one of the biggest stories in baseball.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday that a rival executive believes that the Boston Red Sox are a “real threat” to sign Ohtani this offseason.
Heyman cited Ohtani’s sponsorship deal with Boston-based New Balance as a driving force behind Ohtani’s potential desire to play for the Red Sox.
The Red Sox are also primed to spend this offseason. They moved on from chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom partially because of his unwillingness to sign big-name free agents to long term deals and after three last-place finishes in the past four seasons, there is growing pressure within the organization to make win-now moves.
Heyman is not the first person to report on a potential link between Ohtani and the Red Sox. Longtime sportswriter Peter Gammons reported in mid-September that a National League executive believed Ohtani was interested, also noting the New Balance connection.