MLB Rumors: 3 teams that may pass on Shohei Ohtani after latest injury news

USA Today MLB insider Bob Nightengale reported on Tuesday that Angels two-way superstar and pending free agent Shohei Ohtani has undergone elbow surgery and will not be available to pitch again until at least 2025. He will only be able to play DH in the 2024 MLB season.

Many said that Shohei Ohtani could sign a $700 million contract prior to his recent injuries. It seems likely most teams won't want to commit to him to that degree, as seen recently in Carlos Correa, where the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets both gave him a contract offer but then refused to sign him after finding out how injury-prone he could be.

So with this latest injury, which teams could back off of Ohtani? Don't be surprised if these three teams get proverbial cold feet when it comes free agency time.

Teams that may pass on Shohei Ohtani: New York Yankees

The New York Yankees need to commit to signing multiple players in the near future, while also not having room currently for Shohei Ohtani if he's not going to be on the mound for the club.

With Ohtani not pitching in 2024, they can't have him on the roster because they currently have DH Giancarlo Stanton, whom they are committed to for at least four more seasons with a club option for a fifth season. Yes, there is an argument to be made for "you sign Ohtani and make room", but the truth of the matter is that the Yankees aren't in that position with Stanton.

The Yankees are one of the top landing spots for another Japanese pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who holds much more substantial upside than Shohei Ohtani, who might never pitch again and would only be able to hit.