Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) Aug 27, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) runs to the dugout after warming up before a game against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
ArticlesFeaturedMLBBy Sam Neumann on

With the New York Mets having the richest owner in the sport, it makes sense that the team would be connected to Shohei Ohtani. Steve Cohen has shown at every twist and turn that he’ll spend the money, especially to make his Mets’ team a contender.

Cohen also proved at this season’s trade deadline, that he’s willing to cut his losses and eat money when it comes to making mistakes. After selling off the likes of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander among several others, and hiring a president of baseball operations, it seemed to signal that the Mets would approach this offseason more carefully, as in not dipping their toes into the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes. But, according to ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

“I think the Mets are going to be right in the middle of things. They have the most money, they have the owner who is most willing to spend. Accordingly, they should be there. The question is, does Ohtani want to deal with all that being in New York entails? It is a completely different life than he would have with the Angels. He was sheltered from media stuff, he could do whatever he wanted. The idea that the Mets aren’t going to be front and center is silly. It’s arguably the most talented baseball player of all time, and Steve Cohen is in the business of gathering talented baseball players.”

Those in the MLB world were quick to react to Passan’s report:

https://twitter.com/KesslerSpTalk/status/1716897795532108159?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1716897795532108159%7Ctwgr%5Eecb84b83a6cb2240ee2ba28aa5f0d5a86a767051%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FKesslerSpTalk2Fstatus2F1716897795532108159widget%3DTweet

https://twitter.com/LindortoHeaven/status/1716896147758067931?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1716896147758067931%7Ctwgr%5Ed4b67cc2bfd86a301d9a6fd43f41cf82b24459d9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FLindortoHeaven2Fstatus2F1716896147758067931widget%3DTweet

In a season that was cut short due to various injuries, Ohtani hit .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs, 95 RBIs, and a league-leading 1.066 OPS. On the mound, Ohtani pitched to a 10-5 record with a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts. He recorded 167 strikeouts in 132.0 innings pitched and maintained a 1.06 WHIP.

The two-way superstar is not expected to pitch at all in 2024 after undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery on his torn UCL. Now, the big question is how that elbow surgery affects his value as a free agent this offseason. There had been speculation he might sign a long-term deal in the $600 million range, but that factored in his value as a two-way player.

It remains to be seen just how much money Ohtani will receive this offseason, but we can certainly expect the Mets, despite their recent sell-offs, to be squarely in the mix.

 [Jacob Kaye on X]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann