Is the contract imminent. The number of candidates for the destination of Shohei Ohtani (29), a "pitcher all-around" who is considered the best FA in Major League history, is increasingly being compressed.

Canadian media "SportsNet" announced on the 3rd, "According to baseball sources, Ohtani is scheduled to meet with several clubs in Los Angeles this weekend and negotiations are in the final stages," signaling that Ohtani's contract is imminent.

Ohtani, who has built a reputation as a "dodge" since his Japanese professional baseball days, joined the Los Angeles Angels in 2018 and became the American League Rookie of the Year with 4 wins, 2 losses and a 3.31 ERA as a pitcher with a batting average of .285 22 home runs, 61 RBIs and 10 stolen bases left.

Ohtani's heyday was in full swing in 2021. He not only hit .257 with 46 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases, but also became the MVP of the American League as a pitcher with 9 wins, 2 losses, and a 3.18 ERA. The first ever All-Star and Silver Slugger award also followed.

batting average as a batter last year.Ohtani, who continued his monstrous performance with 273 34 home runs, 95 RBIs and 11 stolen bases and 15 wins, 9 losses, and 2.33 ERA as a pitcher, hit a batting average this year.304 44 home runs, 95 RBIs and 20 steals, 10 wins, 5 losses and a 3.14 ERA as a pitcher, and was once again selected as the MVP of the American League. He was selected as an All-Star for the third consecutive year and another silver slugger came.

Although Ohtani is in a situation where it is difficult to take the mound as a pitcher next season due to elbow surgery, major league clubs continue to pay attention in that he can still play normally as a batter. In addition, Ohtani is known to have a strong will to return as a pitcher, so the possibility of his resurgence in the future cannot be ruled out.

Many local media say the Los Angeles Dodgers are the front-runner to recruit Ohtani. SportsNet also said, "The baseball community sees the Los Angeles Dodgers as the most obvious leader in recruiting Ohtani. Ohtani is a player who feels comfortable living in the Los Angeles area while playing for the Los Angeles Angels for six years.

At the same time, SportsNet said, "But there are still other candidate teams." Toronto club officials (though Toronto is also a candidate) have consistently refused to comment on Ohtani, while other teams say they are on Ohtani's list of candidates. The Chicago Cubs are known as the team involved, and the Angels and San Francisco Giants have not yet been ruled out," he said, adding that Toronto, the Cubs, the Angels and San Francisco are also on the list of candidates.

Earlier, Jeff Bankruptcy of ESPN said, "The Texas Rangers, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox turned their attention to other players," and the candidate list for Ohtani's recruitment match seems to be reduced to five clubs: Dodgers, Toronto, Cubs, Angels, and San Francisco.

Finally, SportsNet said, "Ohtani's decision will have a huge ripple effect on the baseball world. A decision is expected to be made soon, he predicted.

In fact, it is not surprising that the Dodgers, who were mentioned as "powerful candidates" even before Ohtani applied for the FA, San Francisco and the Cubs, who claim to be "big hands" this offseason, and the Angels, Ohtani's original team, are on the candidate list.

Toronto has recently emerged as a potential candidate. On the day, the Major League's official website (MLB ) drew attention by citing the reason why Toronto could recruit Ohtani.

Toronto is still considered a team in the championship, although the World Series championship clock has stopped since 1993. The team that made it to the postseason again this year. "Toronto has succeeded in cultivating young players and has been active in supplementing its power through trade with the FA," MLB said. Ohtani wants to win the World Series and wants a winning team. During Ohtani's stay with the Angels, the Angels never won a ticket to the postseason.

It is also pointed out that it is time for Toronto to make a "winning move." "MLB " said, "Toronto will have a competitive power in the 2024 season with or without Ohtani, but the clock may already be ticking. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bobbisset, who are laying the foundation for franchise stars, are only two seasons away from becoming FA and there is no sign of agreeing to an extension yet. Chris Bassett, George Springer, and Kevin Gausman, who were recently recruited as FA, are all getting older, and Toronto's farm system selected by the MLB Pipeline in August is only 25th."

In addition, "MLB " also analyzed that Toronto is "coordinated" in that it needs to reinforce left-handed and designated hitters. "MLB " said, "It should be noted that Otani's presence cannot be used as a designated hitter to rest Guerrero Jr. and Springer or players in need of rest. But that doesn't mean it's an obstacle to chasing one of the best players in sports," he explained. Brandon Belt, who played the most designated hitter in Toronto this year, has already entered the FA market.

On top of that, "MLB " claims that "Toronto is a team that can wait for Ohtani to return to the mound."

"Ohtani won't pitch in 2024. However, Toronto is well prepared to ensure that there will be no problem even if Ohtani does not take the mound next season," according to MLB . That will be the case, but Toronto already has the best first to fourth starters in the league leading to Gausman, Bassett, Jose Berrios, and Yusei Kikuchi.

"The time Toronto needs Ohtani to pitch is 2025," said "MLB ," and "Kikuchi will become an FA, and Bashit will be 36 years old. It coincides with Ohtani's recovery period," he said, predicting that the timing of Ohtani's return to pitching will coincide with the time when Toronto needs to reinforce its starting pitching staff. 스포츠토토

It is predicted that Ohtani's ransom will still exceed $500 million. The amount is about 650 billion won. It is unclear whether Toronto will be able to invest a huge amount of money, but the fact that they are still mentioned as candidates for recruitment shows that their movement is unusual. Will Toronto be the final winner of the recruitment race for Ohtani, beating the "contestant" Dodgers.