Report: MLB exec views Giants as possible Ohtani landing spot originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The Giants once again are linked to one of the game’s biggest stars in a potential upcoming free agency class.
San Francisco has been mentioned as a possible suitor for New York Yankees slugger and Northern California native Aaron Judge if he were to become a free agent after the 2022 season.
The Athletic’s Jayson Stark spoke to a few front office executives around the league about Shohei Ohtani‘s potential free agency pursuit. One executive believes that the two-way star will prefer to stay on the West Coast, listing both the Giants and rival Los Angeles Dodgers as two possible suitors.
“I don’t think he’s an East Coast guy,” an executive told The Athletic. “My first instinct is to say Dodgers or Giants. But I actually don’t think he would go to the Dodgers just because it would look like he’s sticking it to the Angels. I could see him going to Seattle. But West Coast. That’s my guess.”
As frustrating as the Angels’ underwhelming season has been with two perennial superstars in Ohtani and Mike Trout, there was some trade buzz prior to the August 2 MLB surrounding Ohtani, who ultimately stayed put.
Three executives who spoke to Stark believe that the Angels will keep Ohtani throughout the upcoming offseason, with two believing that he could become available as soon as next summer prior to the trade deadline.
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The Giants are starved for a superstar of their own, especially in an NL West division with star-studded lineups like that of the Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
Any pursuit of Ohtani likely won’t take place for at least another year and if he does become available — whether it be through trade or free agency — the Giants certainly will have an interest.