Houston Astros a Darkhorse to Land Ohtani in Free Agency

The Houston Astros could be among the teams willing to pursue Shohei Ohtani in MLB free agency.

The Houston Astros may have the most potent lineup in all of baseball. It's why no once was even slightly concerned when they weren't leading the American League West for the first four months of the season.

But who could make that vaunted lineup better?

Easy answer: Shohei Ohtani.

He will be a free agent this winter and any team is eligible to pursue him.

But could the Astros be among those who may a serious go at the Japanese phenom?

According to a new article from The Athletic, Houston is among the darkhorse teams who could make a run at Ohtani.

"The Astros have shied away from long-term contracts and were willing to say goodbye to stars like Correa and George Springer when they asked for them. They also haven’t been willing to give All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker a market-rate contract. I just can’t see them dipping into the Ohtani waters based on their track record," writes Jim Bowden.

Bowden hit on the very obvious fact that the Astros don't like giving out extensions or contracts over six years. So what about a 10-year contract worth $500-600 million? 

Yeah, probably not.

But you never know because Ohtani is such a different case from any other player. Ohtani by himself opens up an entirely new market in Japan. One with a passionate fanbase unlike any here in the United States. You also get the face of baseball. And the best player to ever take the field. 

That's a lot of return for half a billion. 

Even then, it seems incredibly unlikely that Jim Crane would seriously contemplate pursuing Ohtani. But it's still fun to game it out!