Red Sox Owner Gives Encouraging Quote Regarding Potential Shohei Ohtani Pursuit

Ohtani could be Boston's Opening Day starter and No. 3 hitter in 2024

Scott Neville | Mar 30, 2023

Red Sox Owner Gives Encouraging Quote Regarding Potential Shohei Ohtani Pursuit /

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Boston Red Sox

Would the Boston Red Sox seriously pursue impending free agent and current Los Angeles Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani?

It sounds as if one Red Sox owner -- who has the second-largest amount of shares in the team behind principal owner John Henry -- will be pulling hard for it.

"He's the greatest player in baseball in my lifetime," Red Sox part-owner Tom Werner said while speaking on WEEI's Gresh & Fauria. "Whatever compensation he receives is going to be worth it because he's just such a dynamic presence as a pitcher, as a hitter.

"Will he set the market? I'm sure he'll get more than any other player but he deserves a lot of money because he's a global star."

Werner comes from a television background and is known for his focus on ratings. If the Fenway Sports Group are focused on growing NESN and their new focus NESN 360 -- there's no better player to pursue than Ohtani.

The added investment from Japan alone would be incredibly substantial and next year's Opening Day at Fenway Park would have no issue selling out --unlike this season.

Ownership would certainly profit off Ohtani, no matter how much they pay him and how well he performs. The issue would be Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and the rest of the front office -- who will have serious luxury tax issues with both Ohtani and star third baseman Rafael Devers on the books.

Fortunately for fans, Bloom has little-to-know say in the matter if ownership makes up its mind.

Ohtani appears to prefer to play on the West Coast but money talks, and ideally Japanese newcomer Masatake Yoshida will as well -- Ohtani's recent teammate in the World Baseball Classic.

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Published Mar 30, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu