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Jeff Passan lists SF Giants among teams expected to lead Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes

ESPN's MLB insider Jeff Passan listed the SF Giants among five teams that are expected to lead the race for Shohei Ohtani next offseason.

Marc Delucchi

Jeff Passan lists SF Giants among teams expected to lead Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes
Jeff Passan lists SF Giants among teams expected to lead Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes /
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It was only a matter of time before the SF Giants were connected to Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani. After the Giants fell short in their pursuit of outfielder Aaron Judge last offseason and called off a record-setting deal with shortstop Carlos Correa, the franchise is expected to once again pursue a top free agent next offseason. ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan listed the Giants among five teams expected to lead the charge for Ohtani if he chooses to leave the Angels.

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani strikes out in the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals. (2023)
Angels star Shohei Ohtani strikes out against the Nationals. (2023) / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

"Seeing him do everything that he's been doing for the last three years when he's been the best team on the planet," Passan said on ESPN's Get Up!. "Shows you why the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets are going to be the two teams that are budding heads with the Giants, Yankees, and the Mariners, and perhaps others on the periphery, to pay the guy $500 million plus dollars. That's where the bidding is going to start, and it's only going to get higher than that because this guy is simply better than everyone."

Ohtani has established himself as the best player in MLB since signing with the Angels prior to the 2018 season. The 2021 American League MVP, Ohtani has established himself as both an elite starting pitcher and designated hitter, managing to excel as a full-time player in both roles. Over his six-year MLB career, Ohtani has a .267/.354/.530 triple-slash with 131 home runs in 584 games at the plate alongside a 2.84 ERA with 468 strikeouts in 370.2 innings pitched (67 starts) on the mound.

Given the Giants failure to get a sizable contract across the finish line in recent years, fans are going to be rightfully skeptical of any rumors tying them to Ohtani. It's worth noting that the Giants were the only team Passan listed that did not reach the playoffs or finish above .500 last season. While the Giants are not the only team in that group to have gotten off to a slow start this season, they currently have a worse record than the four other teams.

The main reason most people expect Ohtani to leave the Los Angeles Angels in free agency next offseason has nothing to do with money or market. It has to do with winning. Ohtani still has never appeared in a big-league playoff game. The Giants may have finished one game out of a Wild Card spot in 2020 and won 107 games in 2021, but the team is 6-12 so far this season after a mediocre 81-81 2022 campaign.

The SF Giants obviously hope they can right the ship and find their way to postseason contention this season. But it may mean more for the future of the franchise than simply another trip to the playoffs. Rather, a winning season that lasts late into October could be necessary for the Giants to find a way to land Shohei Ohtani.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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