New York Mets are Top Team Linked to Shohei Ohtani

The New York Mets have been named as front-runners in the sweepstakes for Shohei Ohtani.

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Will New York Mets owner Steve Cohen pony up and sign two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani next winter?

According to ESPN baseball insider Buster Olney, It's certainly possible, as he named the Mets as front-runners to land Ohtani. 

As Olney pointed out, Mets general manager Billy Eppler signed Ohtani when he was the GM of the Los Angeles Angels. This could play as an advantage for the Mets. 

However, some believe that Ohtani might not want to leave California. There is also talk that he isn't a fan of making himself available to the media on a regular basis, which wouldn't fly in New York. 

Ohtani is expected to draw a historic contract in the $500-600 million range, which would be records by a long shot. 

While Cohen has an art collection that is worth billions of dollars, it remains to be seen whether he will dish out record-setting money for Ohtani. 

That said, the Mets have the highest payroll in baseball history at $377 million, but have stumbled out of the gate with a .500 record. If the expensive Mets falter this season, this could force Cohen to be more aggressive in the offseason by going hard for Ohtani. 

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