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If you’re checking this site or Twitter around this time on a Sunday, it’s likely you’ve heard the news by now. If not, please freak out with me.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
The rumblings started a little over an hour ago.
Ohtani has told #yankees they won’t sign with them, Cashman says
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) December 3, 2017
Ok, that’s cool. One team down, only 28 in front of the M’s.
Sources: Shohei Ohtani continues to narrow the field for his meetings next week. The New York Yankees are out. The San Francisco Giants are one of the finalists. The Seattle Mariners also are in.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 3, 2017
Ummmmm. Don’t freak out yet.
Sources briefed on Ohtani cutdown tell me "heavy West Coast" flavor to final list. #Cubs a possible exception along with SEA, SF, SD and both LA clubs.
— Mike Berardino (@MikeBerardino) December 3, 2017
Ok, that’s like five whole teams. That’s only a 20% chance. Don’t get your hopes too high, we all know how that-
Re: Ohtani... Cashman said that if he was a West Coast team in a smaller market, he’d be excited right now.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) December 3, 2017
Jeez. The way it looks right now, it seems like the Mariners, Padres, and Giants are the three teams that have a good shot at Ohtani. The Angels and Dodgers are mentioned in an above tweet, but the “small market” comment seems to rule them out. It might not. But if you believe Hoch that this is directly from Cashman’s mouth, the source is credible.
American League and National League teams can both offer Ohtani compelling arguments for why he should choose them and be able to hit on at least a semi-regular basis. With Hisashi Iwakuma re-signed, the Mariners recently acquiring a decent chunk of international pool money, and the team’s plan to bring the studs down to Los Angeles for a meeting next week, the stars might just be aligning.
I want to say don’t let yourself freak out, but it’s probably too late.