maybe i'm off base on this, but i'm especially surprised by the slow offseasons so far because really the only thing teams can do to improve their position with Ohtani between now and his decision is to improve the talent level of their team. a team like the Giants, for instance, who might have a shot because of their market size and large Asian population, but might be dismissed by Ohtani because of their record last year, could benefit by being more aggressive on the Stanton front (who they're pursuing anyway). i get that this is very flawed example because Stanton's NTC is a big factor in this particular instance. but it just seems like more teams should be aggressive early this year, given the opportunity to attract a franchise player in a situation where money isn't really a differentiating factor. the angels are another team that comes to mind. they were a few games out of the playoffs last year. add some talent early, and maybe the idea of playing with Mike Trout in Los Angeles, with DH on option for Ohtani, suddenly becomes more appealing.