Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani remains under contract for one more season.
However, the race to sign him as a free agent after the World Series has, unofficially, started.
Reports everywhere link just about every contender to the Japanese phenom: the Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Diego Padres, the New York Yankees, the Chicago Cubs, the Seattle Mariners, the New York Mets and several others will likely be involved.
Players have talked about their desire to have him on their team, and fans have flooded social media with messages and tweets urging him to sign in their preferred destination.
In other words, everybody is doing their part.
His teammate on the Angels, Mike Trout, has said he will do whatever it takes to get him to stay.
It may not matter if LA can’t show Ohtani it can become a winning team.
In addition to that, there are other players trying to recruit the talented two-way player.
Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki is one of them.
Seiya Suzuki (through interpreter Toy Matsushita) on possibly recruiting Shohei Ohtani to the Cubs:
“I am inviting him.” pic.twitter.com/jhteoKeM5U
— Ryan Herrera (@ryan_a_herrera) February 21, 2023
The two know each other from their days in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
From 2013 to 2017, Ohtani played with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.
On the other hand, Suzuki played for the Hiroshima Carp from 2013 to 2021.
Both were stars in their country and arrived to MLB with sky-high expectations.
Ohtani has fulfilled them, but Suzuki is still adjusting to life in America and a new league.
In his first year as a member of the Cubs this past season, he slashed .262/.336/.433 with 14 home runs and a 116 wRC+ in 111 games.
After a scintillating start, pitchers started to adjust and he wasn’t as productive.
He can be much better than that.
If he and his Cubs can shine and make the postseason, they will be able to make a better pitch to Ohtani after the Fall Classic.
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