The offseason seemed to go very slow and unproductive in late 2023, early 2024. Here’s why the New York Mets avoiding Shohei Ohtani in free agency was the best move possible, in light of recent events.
Shohei Ohtani very well could have been a Met, however he opted to stay close to home on the west coast, signing a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers worth $700 million dollars over a ten year span.
In recent news, Ohtani’s translator has been fired due to transferring Ohtani’s money due to a gambling debt, and could potentially even opt out of his contract, per Dodgers Nation.
The Dodgers Fired Shohei Ohtani’s Interpeter; Can the Two-Way Star Opt Out of His Contract?
Personally, the Mets should steer clear of Ohtani and this hot mess of a situation. Not only has the two way star had a significant injury that made him choose between hitting or pitching this season, this mess of a situation is bound to attract negative attention.
It’s unfortunate, as Ohtani hit 44 home runs with 95 home runs batting .304 before the injury last season.
I don’t understand how someone so genuine sounding and pure/well mannered could pull something so devious and let his best friend and translator take the fall for it. It’s rather twisted, fooling the world with a fake personality.
At the end of it all, the Mets were very wise to not waste that money and effort into signing a man who very well has gotten himself involved in the biggest story within baseball way before the 2024 season even arrived.
Less is more. Less drama, less speculation, less negative press. A man who humbly and quietly makes a name for himself in a big city is worth a million bucks, well, the average person. A man like Ohtani clearly is demanding a ton of money, and for that amount of money he better be damn near perfection.
It has been an utter and complete disaster for the Dodgers, to say the least. Between newly arrived Yoshinobu Yamamoto getting shellacked in just the first inning of an exhibition game and now this, it’s simply a huge scandal.
It’s just not a good look. The Mets are no stranger to scandals and attracting negative press, between former GM Billy Eppler abusing the IL and several other incidents over the years, the team couldn’t afford to be the butt of the league’s jokes, especially not on Steve Cohen’s team.
If one thing is to be said, it’s the Dodgers’ issue right now. Whoever decides to take a flyer on Ohtani should he opt out should tread carefully.
Mets Madness 
Hey, good article. First of all, I thought you were “Mikayla Rizzo”. Second of all, Ohtani has a torn UCL in his elbow, so he can’t throw for an entire year. So he didn’t choose between hitting and pitching, he simply can’t pitch until 2025, at least.
I agree with you that he seems like such a genuine person. I don’t think he’s guilty of anything personally. Why would an athlete risk anything by gambling? I believe that the translator is 100% guilty. He was rightfully fired. I believe (and hope) that Ohtani will be found innocent and everything will be fine.
Thanks!
Reid “Dutch Lion”
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