Mets set on 'insane' Shohei Ohtani offer in free agency next offseason?

With the MLB offseason nearing an end, teams are turning their attention to the start of spring training. Some are also looking ahead to next year’s free-agent crop that should feature a frenzy not seen in decades.

Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will become the biggest free agent since Alex Rodriguez at the turn of the century. Per the New York Post's Jon Heyman, the Mets might be the favorites in the Ohtani sweepstakes.

The Mets and billionaire owner Steve Cohen have already spent more than $500 million this offseason. The team has a $335 million payroll for 2023, well ahead of the No. 2 Yankees at nearly $267 million, per Spotrac.

Heyman reported the Mets could push their payroll even higher by making Ohtani a record-setting offer. 

A source told Heyman: “The Mets will make Ohtani the best-paid player in the history of sports — whether he plays for the Mets or not — because the offer will be insane. And if someone else wants to beat it go ahead.” 

Ohtani is a two-way star and one of the faces of the game. His 9.6 WAR was second only to the Yankees' Aaron Judge in 2022. He posted a slash line of .273/.356/.875 last year, and that wasn’t even his best season. In 2021, he posted a .257/.372/.965 line and captured the MVP Award.

He is just as good on the mound as with the bat. In 2022, he won 15 games with a 2.33 ERA and struck 219 batters over 166 innings.

When he hits free agency, Ohtani will be entering his age-29 season, in the middle of his prime and with several good years ahead of him.

Ohtani will be the story of the 2023 offseason and shatter current teammate Mike Trout’s 12-year, $426.5 million deal. He will likely pass the 10-year, $450 million contract signed by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the richest deal in North American professional sports.

Half-a-billion dollars is likely just the floor of Ohtani’s contract.

Even if he nets a 10-year, $500 million deal, some would argue $50 million a year for Ohtani is a bargain.

A recent FanGraphs article noted that, in 2021, teams spent about $8.5 million per 1 WAR on free agents. Ohtani’s nearly10 WAR would make him worth about $85 million a season.

He will have bids from the biggest markets in the game.

Ohtani didn’t want to play in New York when he came to Major League Baseball from Japan in 2018, but Heyman reported he may be open to the idea now.

Cohen, who has a net worth of more than $17 billion, is one of the few owners who can pay Ohtani his worth. He has shown he likes paying for superstars and has no fear of MLB’s luxury tax.

With one of the sport’s best players becoming available, Cohen will salivate at the prospect of adding him to the Mets core.

Cohen downplayed any interest, however, telling Heyman, “Hard to think about next year. I’m focused on this season.” 

There is no doubt Cohen has thought about it, and all signs point to the Mets being one of the teams willing to make Ohtani a $500 million player.