Mets people are thinking big with Shohei Ohtani, another prospect ranking packed with Mets

Inside the Mets, it's widely expected Steve Cohen will make a huge offer for the two-way unicorn

(Getty Images)

What’s Up with the Mets? 🍎

• People inside the Mets expect Steve Cohen to make a huge offer for Shohei Ohtani next winter (New York Post)

• Five Mets prospects made Keith Law’s top 100 prospect list (Athletic):

  • C Francisco Álvarez (no. 7)

  • 3B Brett Baty (no. 31)

  • C Kevin Parada (no. 44)

  • OF Alex Ramirez (no. 68)

  • INF Ronny Mauricio (no. 87)

• Darren O’Day - who briefly pitched for the Mets in 2009 - announced his retirement

---

13 days until Mets pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie! ⚾️🌴

---

---

Let’s take a deep breath on this Shohei Ohtani business… ✍🏻

Of course, Shohei Ohtani is all the rage.

He’s 11 months away from free agency, potentially six months away from what could be the biggest trade ever made for a player, and unquestionably the greatest baseball asset ever coveted in the era of free agency.

There’s no need to get into the kind of impact Ohtani is, not to mention the star and brand power he would bring to all 30 clubs in Major League Baseball. He is a unicorn, a once in 100-year player (literally, since the last player like Ohtani was Babe Ruth).

Around here though, it’s widely assumed Steve Cohen and the Mets will just outbid everyone else for Ohtani and land him for a forever contract.

While I do believe Mr. Cohen and the Mets won’t lose out on his services without leaving the best offer among any of the 30 clubs on the table, I think we should all take a step back here and let the process itself play out, including those inside the Mets talking and speculating about it to the media.

Make no mistake - as a fan, I’m intrigued and enticed by the prospect of the Mets already being financially positioned to make this happen, perhaps more than any other club. That alone should offer hope and excitement. And that Billy Eppler is here having already completed a marriage between Ohtani and a club makes this even more intriguing.

But as we’ve seen time and time again, the shoe doesn’t always fit, even when it seems there’s a snug fit and the laces are tied. After all, Eppler’s new club is 3000 miles east of his former club, that where Ohtani currently resides. And originally, Ohtani preferred a west coast club on his original tour of the big leagues back in 2018. Now, that can quickly and easily change (and maybe already has for Ohtani), especially when we are talking about the kind of money being speculated.

Still, there are a lot of factors and variables in play for Ohtani. And the number of teams presumably positioned to sign him only adds to those variables between market sizes, city sizes, taxes on money, and so on and so forth.

So for now, let’s dream big, but not assume anything. Spring Training starts in a couple of weeks and hopefully for Ohtani, Mr. Cohen and the Mets will be able to add footage of a trip of the Canyon of Heroes to Ohtani’s recruitment pitch.

---

Hot Stove 🔥

• The Red Sox acquired Richard Bleier from the Marlins in exchange for Matt Barnes and $5.5 million in cash (Athletic)

• Michael Wacha is still available and seeking a two-year, $30 million deal (USA Today)

• The mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida is in support of a design of a new redevelopment plan for the Rays, although the plan does not include a commitment on a new ballpark (Tampa Bay Times)

• Former Met Adeiny Hechavarria is heading to the Braves on a minor league deal (official announcement)

• Zach Grienke is heading back to Kansas City on a one-year contract (610 Sports Radio)

• Richard Avila - a longtime scout for the Dodgers - passed away on Monday at the age of 92