What are the chances that the Texas Rangers sign Shohei Ohtani?
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Every MLB team is waiting to see who Shohei Ohtani will choose to sign with in free agency. Do the Texas Rangers have a chance to sign the Japanese superstar?
According to online sportsbook DraftKings, the Rangers have the sixth-best odds of signing Ohtani this offseason. Here are the teams with the highest odds.
Los Angeles Dodgers -110
San Francisco Giants +550
New York Mets +700
Chicago Cubs +700
New York Yankees +750
Texas Rangers +900
Seattle Mariners +1000
Boston Red Sox +1300
Los Angeles Angels +1500
Philadelphia Phillies +1800
Besides the Vegas odds, MLB insiders have also commented on the Rangers’ chances.
ESPN’s Jeff Pasan cited the Rangers as one of the teams that Ohtani has expressed affinity for and said the Rangers were expected to bid on the superstar.
Pasan said the Rangers’ previous interest while Ohtani was still in Japan as a reason for the affinity in addition to their recent World Series victory.
Pasan expects Ohtani to sign relatively quickly and possibly even before the Dec. 4-7 winter meetings.
Jon Morosi a reporter for the MLB Network said Ohtani is more concerned about finding a winning team as opposed to focusing on where that team is located.
"He (Shohei Ohtani) is probably less concerned about geography and more concerned about the quality of the team he is going to."@jonmorosi shares what the GM meetings revealed about Ohtani's approach to free agency. pic.twitter.com/h1xioxMPos
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 13, 2023
That would bear well for the Rangers not only because they won the 2023 World Series but also because the team is well-geared to compete in the future with young talent.
Ohtani is the most sought-after player in free agency because of his unique superstar status in the MLB.
Ohtani hit 44 home runs and 95 RBIs during the 2023 season despite missing 27 games in addition to sporting a pitching record of 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA.
Ohtani is the front-runner for the American League MVP trophy and should he win it would be his second in the last three seasons.
Since entering the league in 2018 Ohtani has dominated, making three all-star selections, winning Rookie of the Year and winning the 2021 AL MVP award while becoming one of the league’s most electrifying superstars.
However, due to a torn UCL that required surgery Ohtani will not pitch again until 2025 but will be ready to hit in 2024.
Few players in the MLB are more popular than Ohtani who sold the most jerseys in the MLB last season.
The contract Ohtani receives this offseason has a chance to be the largest in MLB history and whichever team signs him will have a new franchise cornerstone.
