MLB Rumors: Braves striking out, Ohtani spurned Giants, Soto-Yankees extension
- Juan Soto doesn't sound too hurried to reach an extension with the Yankees
- The Giants were burned again in free agency, this time by Ohtani
- Could the Braves strike out on the top targets in free agency?
MLB Rumors: Giants were ghosted by Ohtani after similar offer to Dodgers
The wounds from Aaron Judge toying with the San Francisco Giants last offseason are probably still quite fresh for the organization and fans alike. But now they can add Shohei Ohtani to the list of high-profile free agent targets who spurned them in a pretty ugly way.
According to president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, Ohtani's representation presented the Giants with the same contract proposal that the Japanese superstar ultimately agreed to with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Zaidi said on Tuesday that he and the front office were "agreeable" to the proposal and put the ball in Ohtani's court, wherein he ultimately chose the Dodgers.
Ohtani camp presented Giants the exact deal that Ohtani ended up finalizing with LA. "We were agreeable to it," Zaidi said. Then Giants were told it was in Ohtani's hands. Obviously, Shohei picked Dodgers.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) December 13, 2023
Zaidi also added, per Baggarly, that he believes that Ohtani's preference to play in Southern California won out and left the Giants empty-handed in this pursuit.
Zaidi on commitment from Giants ownership on Ohtani: "Every financial target or request that was made was met and was met pretty quickly." Preference for SoCal won out, Zaidi contends.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) December 13, 2023
That's undeniably a tough pill to swallow for Giants fans, but it's also not necessarily the end of the world either.
On Tuesday, San Francisco got up off the mat to make their first major move of the offseason, inking Korean star Jung Hoo Lee to a six-year, $113 million contract, giving the Giants a substantial upgrade to their outfield with a young talent that garnered a ton of MLB-wide interest.
Lee, of course, doesn't necessarily measure up to the MVP caliber of Ohtani. However, unlike with failed pursuits of Judge and Carlos Correa last offseason, Zaidi and the Giants do seem to be undeterred by this and could have more major moves to make. They are still in play for former Dodgers MVP Cody Bellinger, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and other high-profile free agents.
So yes, the sting of Ohtani choosing the rival Dodgers over the Giants isn't going away. However, it could be lessened if the Lee signing is the start of the floodgates opening for San Francisco this offseason.