Did Kodai Senga recruit Shohei Ohtani to the NY Mets?

It’s no secret that the New York Mets will be in on Shohei Ohtani, but are we making something out of nothing with this Kodai Senga conversation?

Kodai Senga and Shohei Ohtani are friends and former teammates on the Japanese World Baseball Classic squad, so it was no surprise to watch them embrace prior to the MLB All-Star Game.

When asked what the pair of stars discussed in their conversation far, far away from a microphone, Senga refused to get into specifics, leaving some Mets fans to wonder if a recruiting pitch was made.

It should be noted that this is pure speculation on the part of a hungry fanbase. Ohtani is expected to command a contract north of $500 million, and if New York continues to struggle this season, it wouldn’t be a surprise for Steve Cohen to offer him a contract in that range.

NY Mets: Did Kodai Senga recruit Shohei Ohtani?

For now, that secret conversation between Senga and Ohtani will have to remain just that. Ohtani has made it clear that wherever he lands next, winning will be a top priority. Given the Mets current standing, it’s fair to wonder if they check that box for a player who has suffered so much disappointment in just a few short seasons with the Angels.

“It sucks to lose. He wants to win, so it gets stronger every year,” Ohtani said of his desire to play for a winning team.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, for example, can offer Ohtani both the money he covets and the competition his craves.

Mets manager Buck Showalter openly admitted that on a recent team flight, the idea was floated to make Ohtani a billion-dollar offer. While Showalter was surely just joking in the moment, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for New York to reset the market altogether for a player of Ohtani’s stature.