3 MLB teams that can’t miss their second chance at Shohei Ohtani

When Shohei Ohtani was a free agent, he reportedly narrowed his list to seven teams. Here are three who can’t miss their second chance.

Every team in baseball could use Shohei Ohtani. What he is capable of doing, both on the mound and in the batters box, is something that baseball has never seen. Not from Babe Ruth. Not from anyone. Ohtani is a unicorn and his free agency this winter will be the biggest in baseball history.

The contract figures to eclipse $500 million and could even come close to $600 million. When he was coming to the United States, Ohtani narrowed his “short list” to seven teams, according to ESPN, with those teams being the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle mariners, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs.

Using that list as a guide, here are teams that can’t miss their second chance at Ohtani.

Los Angeles Dodgers don’t want to miss second chance at Shohei Ohtani

Talk to anyone with or around the Dodgers, and it becomes increasingly clear just how much this team covets Ohtani.

They purposefully were cautious buyers last offseason and at this year’s trade deadline so they had the short- and long-term financial flexibility to sign Ohtani. That meant losing players like Trea Turner and Corey Seager. That meant not pursuing some of the big names at this years trade deadline, though they did have a deal in place to acquire left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez from the Tigers before he enforced his no-trade clause to remain in Detroit.

Ohtani is the Dodgers’ top target. That has been the worst kept secret in baseball for months.