SEATTLE -- The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes have been underway for nearly two weeks now, and at least somewhat surprisingly, there’s been little momentum in the market for arguably the most sought-after free agent of all time.
The industry belief is that the Dodgers remain the frontrunner, the Mets could be the most aggressive in their financial offer, along with the Giants, and the Rangers could be emboldened by their World Series title to keep adding. The Cubs, Red Sox and Yankees -- big-market teams looking for a rebound -- are also reportedly in the mix.
Other than that, it’s been mostly crickets on the two-way superstar. Perhaps that’s by design given Ohtani’s veiled nature, but at least in Seattle, the quietude is reflective of what’s taking place behind the scenes. Industry sources told MLB.com this week that landing Ohtani doesn’t appear to be within the Mariners’ realistic agenda this offseason.
Maybe that comes as a surprise, or perhaps not -- but it at least reveals a shift in organizational thinking from as recently as one year ago, even after sizable contract extensions to Julio Rodríguez and Luis Castillo in the final months of the 2022 season. At that time, the belief was that the club was anticipating Ohtani’s impending free agency and intending to make an aggressive push once this long-awaited moment arrived. To be sure, the Mariners were hardly the only club with this approach.
As president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said at the GM Meetings last week, “I’m sure there are 30 teams that would love to see him come to their market.”
Yet, the pressing follow-ups are why and when things changed, particularly given how early it is in the offseason.
A few factors:
• Just how lucrative the cost will be.
• Where the Mariners’ budget stands heading into 2024.
• Allocating most (or all) of its financial resources this winter to one player when there are multiple needs isn’t within their scope.
• Pressing forward with the rest of those needs is the leading priority.
• Maybe Ohtani simply prefers other teams more than the Mariners.