MLB Rumors: Ranking known Shohei Ohtani suitors based on wish list items

With the Winter Meetings underway, the time may be coming for Shohei Ohtani to sign a new contract. The expectation is that he will leave the Los Angeles Angels after never reaching the postseason with the team.

However, the Angels can't entirely be ruled out of the sweepstakes, as Ohtani does prefer to play on the West Coast. But there are other factors as well, such as wanting to win, but also keeping his life somewhat private. Those three items limit the possible teams for him.

In this piece, we will rank the three suitors for Ohtani based on that wish list and determine which team is ultimately the best fit for him.

3. San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres have been and up-and-down team over the past few seasons. They've reached the postseason twice but have also fallen short twice. Now, they appear to be willing to trade Juan Soto not even two full years after acquiring him.

That could mean that the Padres don't think they'll be able to sign him and can pivot to someone like Ohtani. But with the Padres actively shopping Soto, it's unclear what direction they are headed in.

A case could be made that they are taking a step back from contention. Ohtani wants to win, so that could ultimately be a turn-off for the two-way superstar.

San Diego is a large market as well, not as big as Los Angeles, but big enough that it might be tough for him to keep a low profile like he wants to.

The one plus is that he would be able to remain on the West Coast. But since the Padres only check one of the three boxes, they are ranked at the bottom of his wishlist in terms of being the best fit.