MLB player poll predicts Shohei Ohtani will play for this NL team in 2024
from Victor Barbosa, with YarBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
The majority of MLB players questioned in a recent poll believe that two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani will be staying in Los Angeles next season, albeit with a different team.
The biggest question this offseason: Where will Shohei Ohtani sign?
The Athletic polled around 100 MLB players and an overwhelming amount said the Dodgers.
Most think he's staying on the West Coast: https://t.co/3WnSHDpS9b pic.twitter.com/felz9sSF84
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 20, 2023
The 2023 MLB Player Poll was published by The Athletic on Tuesday morning, with topics ranging from Ohtani’s next team (if he leaves the Los Angeles Angels) to all of the new rules to what the best city for an expansion team could be.
The local and national baseball writers for The Athletic talked with 103 players from 22 teams and the names of the players were kept anonymous.
The 2021 AL MVP is eligible for free agency this winter and reports have said that the superstar could command a long-term deal in the $500 million range, if not more.
One player polled thought Ohtani’s next location was easy to predict.
“The Mets and Padres will get in a bidding war and the Dodgers will swoop in,” he said, per The Athletic.
After speaking with “26 MLB executives, agents and insiders”, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel reported in May that the two-time All-Star is likely to choose the Dodgers as his next team. Furthermore, it was reported in April that Ohtani could be traded and “will definitely” leave Mike Trout and company if the team falls out of playoff contention this season.
The Angels are 41-33 and in second place in the AL West, five games behind the Texas Rangers (45-27).
With reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge currently on the injured list and having battled multiple ailments this season, Ohtani seems to be the favorite to win the hardware for the second time in three years. Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez was putting up MVP-caliber numbers until his recent injury as well.
Ohtani has an MLB-best 4.9 wins above replacement (WAR). On the mound, he’s 6-2 with a 3.29 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 105 strikeouts over 82 innings pitched covering 14 starts. At the plate, the 28-year-old leads MLB with 24 home runs, 58 RBI, 175 total bases and 41 extra base hits, while adding 10 stolen bases and a .300/.384/.632 slash line.