Signs may point to Shohei Ohtani on San Francisco Giants in 2024
By Kevin Henry
While Shohei Ohtani’s name came up plenty around the 2022 MLB trade deadline, there was little belief that the Los Angeles Angels would trade him this season. However, with Ohtani scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the 2023 campaign, the question becomes what could happen to Ohtani at the next trade deadline or the following offseason?
Shohei Ohtani rumors: Are there signs pointing to the San Francisco Giants as his next team?
In an article for The Athletic (subscription required), Jayson Stark talked to three American League executives (on the condition of anonymity) about where the 2021 AL MVP might land if he decides to leave the Los Angeles Angels after next season or if the Angels decide to trade him at next season’s MLB trade deadline. Those three executives expressed doubt about the Angels trading Ohtani next season, but they also expressed doubt about Ohtani staying with the Angels after 2023.
One of the executives said about Ohtani, “I don’t think he’s an East Coast guy.” He went on to say that he believed a West Coast team would be a logical fit for the Japanese superstar, then mentioned three teams as possibilities: The Los Angeles Dodgers, the Seattle Mariners, and the Giants.
However, the executive cautioned that Ohtani might not just move across town to join the Dodgers, “because it would look like he’s sticking it to the Angels.”
So that leaves the Mariners and Giants on the short “maybe, could be” list, but would Ohtani head to Seattle to stay in the division and play in the enormous shadow left in the Pacific Northwest by Ichiro Suzuki? There are some potential red flags there, and those are red flags that simply aren’t found with the Giants.
The Giants could also have the financial flexibility to afford Ohtani. According to Spotrac, the Giants have just $12 million already firmly on the books for that season with pitcher Anthony DeSclafani. There are plenty of financial opportunities for the Giants to plan to make a run at Ohtani next offseason if they choose to do so.
Next. Could the Angels really afford to keep Ohtani?. dark
It’s still more than a year away, but don’t be surprised if the San Francisco Giants emerge as one of the front-runners to land Shohei Ohtani should he choose to move on from the Los Angeles Angels.