Loose lips sink ships — or, in this case, MLB teams’ chances of signing Shohei Ohtani.
Teams pursuing the top free agent — such as the Mets and perhaps the Yankees — have been informed that leaks will hurt their chances of bringing home the two-way superstar.
“If visits between Ohtani and a team are reported publicly, it will be held against the team, so the circles will be tiny and tight,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported.
Ohtani is poised to sign this offseason the biggest contract in MLB history and perhaps in the big four sports, even if he can’t pitch this upcoming season.
His elite ability as an ace and hitter provides two-way value that hasn’t been matched since the days of Babe Ruth.
While every team would like to add a player like Ohtani to both their lineup and rotation, the reality is only a handful of teams — think big-market clubs — can afford him.
Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, is letting it be known he wants to negotiate behind closed doors.
“If there is one thing to know about Shohei Ohtani’s free agency, it’s that you are unlikely to know much about it until he signs somewhere,” Passan wrote.
There are usually leaks during free agency and some teams even put on shows for free agents that fans can see from outside the stadiums, but it seems the wine-and-dines with Ohtani will not be of the same ilk.
Leaks can even help sometimes, letting teams know which competitors are out there and whether or not they need to bump their offers.
But Ohtani and Balelo want none of that.
The Dodgers are the betting favorites at DraftKings to land Ohtani, ahead of the rival Giants, who will go all-out to land the star their desperately lineup needs.
The Mets, who can offer the most money, are tied with the Cubs for the third-best odds at +700, while the Yankees are fifth with +750 odds.
Passan reported Ohtani “deeply respects” the Dodgers, and also has affinity for the Rangers (+900) and Red Sox (+1300).