Insider reveals 'primary consideration' for Angels' Shohei Ohtani in free agency

It appears Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is more willing to relocate from the West Coast than some assumed earlier this year. 

"There’s also been a lot of talk that geography will play a large part in his selection of his next team, but I’m told that’s not the primary consideration," MLB insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic said for a piece published Friday. "According to an industry source briefed on Ohtani’s thinking, although he prefers the West Coast, the potential to win championships will be given more weight than geography, as long as a team is willing to at least match the best offer he receives in free agency." 

It was thought as far back as February that Ohtani could receive a contract worth at least $600M total in free agency this fall, but that was before the 29-year-old suffered an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow that could require him to have offseason surgery and that has left his pitching future up in the air. 

Per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN, agent Nez Balelo insisted earlier this week Ohtani will hit at the start of next season and will eventually return to being a two-way player even if he ultimately doesn't pitch before 2025. 

"Ohtani is going to become the highest-paid player in MLB history and sign the sport’s first half-a-billion-dollar contract," Bowden noted. Bowden added he heard from the previously mentioned source that the to-be two-time American League Most Valuable Player will enter the offseason with "an open mind and his eyes wide open" as it pertains to selecting his next MLB home. 

Ohtani has repeatedly been linked in stories and rumors with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a club that cut payroll ahead of the season but that nevertheless began Friday at 85-54 and comfortably atop the National League West standings. Bowden named the Dodgers as the overall favorites to win Ohtani's signature because they can afford the generational talent and because of their history of success. 

"The perennial World Series contenders have finished in first place in 10 of the past 11 years, making the playoffs in all of them, and winning more than 100 games in four of the past seven seasons," Bowden wrote about the Dodgers.

The Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox were also listed among possible destinations for Ohtani, but it sounds like Bowden believes the Dodgers have everything baseball's unicorn wants. 

"Winning trumps everything for him," Bowden said of Ohtani. "Ohtani wants to be at the center of the biggest stage, which means playing on Halloween every year and multiple visits to the White House as a World Series champion in the coming years. That’s his goal."