If it’s 100 BS who cares what he has to say? You can find another account saying the same thing about the Dodgers too if you try. These fake accounts just throw out enough BS that things occasionally stick then they just delete the tweets that they were wrong about. They’re just trying to gain followers and engagement on their tweets. Stop paying them any attention.
I mean, they can't put a gun to his head and make him pick Chicago. I suppose they could....but yeah, ultimately it's his choice for his own reasons. Maybe he wants to be the face of Canadian baseball. Maybe he just loves SoCal. The Cubs may not have control over what he really wants.
The west coast has never been a requirement for Ohtani.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/la-sp-angels-sign-ohtani-20171208-story.html
“What mattered to him most wasn’t market size, time zone or league, but that he felt a true bond with the Angels,” Balelo said. “He sees this as the best environment to develop and reach the next level and attain his career goal.”
My sources have confirmed the White Sox, A's, Pirates, and Rays are out of the Ohtani race. He could sign before, during, or after the winter meetings.
With Ohtani wanting to keep things low key, I highly doubt some no name Twitter guy is going to break any news. No team is going to leak any info to some random. It's just going to be an official announcement from one of the big names like Rosenthal or Passan.
Japan is home to some of the world's leading manufacturers and robotics companies. As of 2022, 45% of all industrial robots in the world were originally produced or designed by companies in Japan.
My worry is he won't reach 100IP in 2024. The only other time he's pitched over 100IP in his career he followed up the next season pitching only 60 innings.
If you’re convincing Ohtani to sign with your team then your sales pitch includes a plan to get better and compete while he’s signed. They’re not just gonna sign him and become the Bulls and do nothing for multiple seasons.
Sources within the Cubs organization have told me that Ohtani will only play for a team that has an American player. Will also give high preference to teams with Latinos as well.
I believe it was the lowest rated World Series in the past decade so I would think losing the TV deal would hurt a bit more. It doesn't appear to be all about the money with Shohei though. If he chooses Texas it's probably because of the talent on their team.
The Rangers were one of the teams impacted by the Sinclair TV rights thing. They might not have the finances. I think the Giants are a big threat. They almost landed Judge and Correa last year so they have money to spend.