Insider: 4 Teams To Drop Their Offers For Shohei Ohtani Significantly

With the word that two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will just be a one-way superstar at best in 2024, with uncertainty on the pitching side going forward due to likely Tommy John surgery, it's apparent that the offers for him in free agency could take a huge hit.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, at least four teams who were at the front of the line to consider a record-shattering contract for Ohtani will have to scale back their offers significantly.

Teams that previously viewed Ohtani as a No. 1 starter, like the (Los Angeles) Dodgers, (San Francisco) Giants, (San Diego) Padres and (Chicago) Cubs, now may be spending their money on other pitchers. 

That's not to say that those four teams won't be interested in signing the game's greatest DH and likely two-time MVP. It's just that the predicted $600 or $700M offers for a No. 1 starter who also hits 50 home runs will likely now disappear. 

“It just changes the face of how teams look at him now,’’ one NL executive told Nightengale. “You’re buying a DH. Having a No. 1 starter is off the table.’’ 

Yes, Ohtani could return as a starting pitcher in 2025 for any team that signs him, but after a second Tommy John (he also had one in 2018), there's no guarantee he comes back as the ace he has been. 

The Dodgers and Giants rotations were problematic all season due to injury troubles, the Padres will be losing a major piece in Blake Snell to free agency, and the Cubs are still desperate for another ace. They will all now have to pony up elsewhere for that arm for 2024.

And that will cost Ohtani possibly hundreds of millions. 

Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports