MLB Rumors: Mike Trout recovery, Shohei Ohtani second chance teams, and Austin Hedges walks the plank

MLB Rumors: Shohei Ohtani still heavily rumored to land on Dodgers, Giants

A famous musician once wrote: Second chances don’t ever matter, people never change. In the case of Shohei Ohtani’s future, second chances do, in fact, matter a lot.

Ohtani himself hasn’t changed. The two-way phenom is slashing .305/.408/.665 with a 3.17 ERA this season. The Angels decided to hold onto him at the trade deadline, but with his free agency looming this winter, even Arte Moreno has to look up at the roaring tsunami forming over him and brace himself for the likelihood that Ohtani will not be an Angel in 2024.

Which teams could have a second swipe at him? FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray named the Dodgers and Giants as two teams that fit Ohtani’s requirements and could cough up $500 to $600 million to secure him for the future.

Ohtani and the Dodgers have danced for a while now. Letting Eduardo Rodriguez slip through their fingers at the deadline could make the Dodgers hungrier to sign a monster talent at the end of the season. The Giants, who have swung and missed on superstars like Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa, are also expected to be in the mix for Ohtani and have the short- and long-term flexibility to bring him on.

Which West Coast heavyweight will win the second round? No one knows for sure, but the fight for Shohei Ohtani will be one that keeps everybody on their toes.