Ashleigh JamesThe Boston Red Sox are set to make notable changes to the roster after two mediocre seasons.
While the pitching staff reigns as the top area of need, all eyes will remain on impending free agent Shohei Ohtani as fans will clammer for the two-way sensation up until the ink dries on his next contract.
Could Boston be a realistic landing spot? There has been growing optimism that the Red Sox should be seen as a “real threat” to sign the superstar. Unfortunately, a local reporter in the know is pouring cold water on the idea.
“According to a source, at a preliminary planning meeting for the Red Sox offseason, held last month, Ohtani was not at all a focus,” MassLive’s Sean McAdam wrote Sunday.
“Meanwhile, another source noted that principal owner John Henry remains philosophically skittish over the prospect of the kind of lengthy mega-deals (that it would take to land Ohtani.
“That doesn’t mean that it can’t still happen. We’ve seen how quickly a course correction can take place when it comes to ownership. But having floated the possibility myself earlier, I’d have to consider it a real longshot now.”
A healthy Ohtani would have been quite a bit more expensive but also would have made a lot more sense for the Red Sox. As it stands now, Ohtani will not pitch again until 2025, and Boston’s rotation cannot afford to wait another year before getting meaningful help.
If Henry and company are willing to add frontline starters on top of Ohtani, great. They would make their money back in spades from Ohtani’s marketability alone and become instant World Series contenders. However, it’s hard to expect them to open their wallets to that degree after what Boston witnessed over the last few seasons.
This is far from a kill shot regarding the Ohtani sweepstakes but the sourced information certainly is not what fans wanted to hear.
Ashleigh James
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