Dodgers' 2023-24 Hot Stove League

Shohei Ohtani free agency rumors: Team meetings to be kept secret in bidding war for two-way superstar

Ohtani's agent reportedly could punish teams who leak information about the meetings

By R.J. Anderson
1 hr ago
•
2 min read

If you've found the early days of Shohei Ohtani's free agency to be quieter than anticipated, then rest assured that it's by design. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Ohtani and agent Nez Balelo are intent on keeping things mum -- to the extent they might debit teams who leak information about and throughout the courting process.

"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," Passan wrote on Tuesday.

Ohtani and Balelo's insistence on keeping details close to their vest is sensible enough. It stands to reason that Ohtani is probably tired of dealing with the nonstop speculation and scrutiny that dominated what is likely to be remembered as his final season with the Los Angeles Angels. (That stuff comes with the territory to an extent, but let's face it: he's been exposed to more than his share already.)

Besides, part of the reason that players and agents (and teams, mind you) leak information on free-agent interest is to create pressure and gain leverage in negotiations. Atypical players create atypical situations, and Ohtani doesn't require those kinds of tricks because he's arguably the most talented player in the sport's history.

Here's what CBS Sports wrote about Ohtani when we ranked him as the No. 1 free agent available this winter:

Welcome to the most anticipated free agency in league history. Ohtani will not pitch next year after undergoing elbow surgery to correct a torn ulnar collateral ligament, yet he's expected to be in someone's lineup as a DH come Opening Day. (He's slated to return to the mound in 2025.) Ohtani is certain to receive a mammoth, record-breaking payday in the interim. Why wouldn't he? He's ranked in the top 10 in both ERA+ and OPS+ since debuting, and along the way has single-handedly shifted the Overton Window on two-way players. It's fair to wonder how his workload will change in the future -- perhaps he someday shifts to a relief role? -- but that's the risk you gladly stomach when you're blessed with the opportunity to sign the kind of anomaly who invokes references to Leon Day, Bullet Rogan, Martín Dihigo, and Babe Ruth. "Destiny is the music of the improbable," Kenneth Patchen once wrote. "Were it otherwise, almost anyone could exist." Make sure you find a way to enjoy Ohtani's tune this winter, even as the noise around him ramps up.

Passan adds that some potential suitors believe Ohtani could make his decision in a relatively quick manner, perhaps before Major League Baseball's annual winter meetings kick off in early December.

So, according to this, he’s already had the surgery to repair a torn ligament in his elbow.

Last time I checked, the elbow was part of the arm and the arm is a fairly decent needed component when it comes to swinging a bat, especially with the force and velocity it takes to hit a 100 mph fastball.

Now I’ve never had arm surgery. But I’ve certainly read and seen my share of articles on players that have.

And NONE of them have recovered in the four or five MONTH period they are predicting and expecting for O.

Did he have some new miracle type of surgery? Is he a fast healer? Or is this all just bullshit to keep him and Borass in that half billion contract they expect?

Sorry - but I wouldn’t give him a dime until that elbow was completely healed and he showed that he could not only hit, but also pitch as effectively as he previously did.

Of course, teams are falling all over themselves (LA included) to get this new toy in their uniform and put more butts in the seats (as if 47 k a night isn’t enough!).

I have more than a gut feeling O will be a HUGE mistake for LA. He’s ONE player that’s going to consume most of their payroll and while he may be the next “natural”, their needs FAR exceed a single DH.

But the more I keep hearing and reading about him, the closer it seems to come that O in Dodger blue will be a reality in Glendale.

I hope they know what they’re doing but then again, they refuse to acknowledge after eight or nine years that Daisy and Fraudy are losers and continue to extend both of them. So there’s that . . .

GO DODGERS!!!

I don't think Ohtani will be a Dodger. Yamamoto either. They're gonna get better offers elsewhere. Friedman will put out a short, super high AAV offer but they're gonna go for the long term just like Harper IMO...

And we got what - a year and a month or so worth of pitching?

Of course, he could not pitch during his “administrative leave” and eventual suspension.

But the blockheads refused to accept or acknowledge they were 100% WRONG and paid him another $26 (?) million to “go away”.

And it just might end up costing them a helluva lot more than that once the litigation starts.

I simply cannot understand how LA could take such a “moral high ground” against Bauer and then turn around and completely FOLD to the alphabet gang and not only encourage and allow their deviant “act” on their field, but also APOLOGIZE for initially declining their participation.

I wonder when Trevor will get HIS apology? Probably around the same time that Kershaw throws three perfect games in the postseason.

In other words - NEVER!

GO DODGERS!!!

How about Joe Kelly? It's important we get Joe Kelly back. What would our IL look like without Joe Kelly's name on it?