3 best Shohei Ohtani destinations that meet all of his wishlist items

Shohei Ohtani rumors: Why not the San Francisco Giants?

The San Francisco Giants were mentioned as a possible suitor for Ohtani just under a week ago by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Rosenthal specified the Giants as a trade suitor, if the Los Angeles Angels decide to turn the tables and deal Ohtani for a haul, rather than risk losing him for nothing this winter.

As Thomas Carannante of FanSided points out, the Ohtani-Giants fit is all too real:

"“It makes perfect sense, too, which makes it all the more troubling. Ohtani’s reported desire is to remain on the west coast, so that already helps the Giants. Secondly, Farhan Zaidi has a ton of money to spend thanks to a flexible payroll. Thirdly, the Giants might actually appeal to Ohtani because they’ve remained competitive despite not possessing a single “star” by league-wide standards.”"

If Ohtani values living on the west coast, San Francisco offers that. Farhan Zaidi is also devoted to creating a winning ballclub every season. And while the Bay Area itself is a large market, northern California offers plenty of areas to get away, such as Napa Valley. Ohtani owning a winery? Sign me up.

All jokes aside, the Giants, Padres and Mariners are all second-tier suitors at best for Ohtani, as the Dodgers have been preparing for this winter for quite some time. They will be the favorites, but don’t sleep on these small-market suitors.