Shohei Ohtani will be baseball’s biggest white whale next offseason. He should still be a very obtainable target for the New York Mets, despite their incredible spending spree this winter.
As crazy as this offseason was in terms of the money spent on some of the biggest names in the game, next winter should reach another insane level mainly because one of the most dynamic superstars in baseball will be a free agent. That man is Shohei Ohtani.
One of the finest and most majestic unicorns we have ever seen grace this great game will be a free agent after the 2023 season. And all signs point towards Ohtani becoming MLB’s first $500 million man. Put it this way; if the two-way superstar sets the sport alight once again in 2023, he will very likely become the best paid player in the history of the game no matter what the final figure is.
And, despite the fact the Mets already blew through every luxury tax threshold imaginable this winter by committing over $350 million in payroll for the 2023 season, don’t be foolish enough to think that owner Steve Cohen won’t be going all out to add baseball’s most attractive star to his team next winter.
Even when or if the Carlos Correa deal is confirmed, and we’re still waiting on that, that won’t prevent Cohen from going big game hunting once again next year. In-fact, thanks to his incredible and never-ending personal wealth, he can go out and add a star to his team every single offseason if that’s what he so wishes.
While other teams and organizations may have to move some pieces in order to accommodate Ohtani, the Mets are in an unprecedented position where they can just go and give the superstar whatever he wants. No matter the cost. After all, Cohen has already made it abundantly clear he will do whatever it takes to improve this team year in and year out. That’s despite what it may cost him personally in terms of luxury taxes.
That’s the main point to consider here when it comes to the Ohtani sweepstakes in 2024. The Japanese sensation would significantly improve every single team in MLB and the Mets would be no different. Because, effectively, you are getting two players in one with Ohtani due to his brilliance as a starting pitcher, coupled with his prowess at the plate.
The 28-year-old is making history on a daily basis in MLB. He would instantly solve the Mets’ struggles at the DH spot given his ability to absolutely mash and put the ball in play at a high rate. He hit .273/.356/.519/.875 with 34 homers, 95 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 30 doubles in 2022. He led all designated hitters with at least 100 at-bats in hits, runs, total bases, triples, homers, RBIs and walks. Ohtani also owned an 18-game hitting streak last year. He would transform the Mets lineup greatly.
As for Ohtani the pitcher, the righty excelled in 2022. He had a better ERA+ as a pitcher (172) than both the Mets’ Max Scherzer and new Yankees starter Carlos Rodón, he had a better strikeout percentage (33.2 percent) than Gerrit Cole and Corbin Burnes, and he allowed the third-fewest extra-base hits (39) of any starting pitcher in the American League (with a minimum of 600 opponent at-bats). The two-time All-Star finished with a 2.33 ERA, 219 strikeouts and just 44 walks.
Ohtani is a true generational one-of-a-kind talent as it gets, and the payday he’ll receive next offseason will probably reflect that fact. It stands true that the Mets are probably the only team willing to absorb the penalties associated with being a repeat luxury-tax offender. It also sure as hell stands true that Cohen is one of the only owners in baseball happy to be hit hard in his own pocket in order to make sure his team remains a perennial winner.
As a result, the bevy of moves made this offseason and the money those moves cost won’t prohibit the Mets from making major additions further down the road. These aren’t the Mets of old. If Cohen wanted to sign first baseman Pete Alonso to a long-term extension and then go make a serious run at Ohtani in 2024, he has the means, the resources and the attitude to be able to accomplish both goals. The Mets are all-in to win right now and for the foreseeable future. They should also absolutely be in on Ohtani next winter because they are perfectly equipped to pull off such a deal.
Cohen no doubt also has the vision to understand that Ohtani would act as a serious money maker for the Mets. After all, his considerable talents are wasted with the Angels but, placed in a big market and a baseball hotbed such as New York, the marketing opportunities would be endless. As would the amount of Mets fans wishing to get their hands on an Ohtani jersey. A blockbuster free agent pursuit of Ohtani in 2024 would make all the sense in the world for the New York Mets. And it is one they could still afford despite their lavish spending this offseason.
