MLB rumors: 3 major contract extension candidates and where they’ll sign

MLB rumors: Where is Shohei Ohtani’s head at?

Shohei Ohtani didn’t do much to quell concerns about his long-term future with the Angels as he reported to spring training this week. Ohtani is not an extension candidate, namely because the Angels are unlikely to throw $500+ million at him before the start of the regular season.

The is an exorbitant amount of money for any one player, but it’s what Ohtani is worth on the current market. He’s a unicorn — a player we haven’t seen since the likes of Babe Ruth — and fills two huge needs for a team on the fringe of the postseason conversation.

Ohtani also wants to compete, hence why he would consider going elsewhere at all. When asked about his immediate future, Ohtani spoke in the present tense, saying he is an Angel right now and is focused on the coming season. When prompted to speak on his future, Ohtani did not have much to say.

That’s the spirit!

Shohei Ohtani rumors: Biggest threats to sign him away from Angels

You’re going to think I’m pulling your chain, but the same teams that are favored to land the likes of Manny Machado also have a good chance to sign Ohtani, if he does in fact leave the Angels. Per MLB insider Robert Murray, the Mets, Dodgers and Giants could all be in on Ohtani next offseason:

"“The Los Angeles Dodgers were mostly inactive this winter as rival executives believe that they are saving payroll space for a serious run at Ohtani. New York Mets owner Steve Cohen spends money unlike anyone in baseball and their general manager, Billy Eppler, was the executive who signed Ohtani when he held the same position with the Angels. The San Francisco Giants aggressively pursued both Judge and Correa this offseason and came up empty. Could they use that money to pursue Ohtani?”"

In addition to those three teams, the Yankees and Red Sox could make a run at Ohtani, though that seems less likely now. Boston couldn’t afford Xander Bogaerts this offseason, and signed Rafael Devers to a huge extension. Chaim Bloom is capped out.

As for the Yankees, Ohtani didn’t have much interest in the Bronx his first go-around after his free-agent posting, so it seems unlikely that he’d be up for it this time around.