MLB.com: “The team that needs Ohtani the most is San Francisco” Dodgers 10th place

“San Francisco lacks star players”
Seattle 2nd, Toronto 3rd in need of batting reinforcement

Attention is focusing on the next destination of Shohei Otani (29), the biggest player in the free agent market.

On the 23rd (Korean time), MLB.com, the official Major League Baseball website, ranked 11 clubs in need of recruiting Ohtani.

Ohtani performed as a batter in the 2023 season with a batting average of 0.304, 44 home runs, 95 RBI, and OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 1.066. Ranked first in overall OPS in MLB and first in home runs in the American League (AL). As a pitcher, he started 23 games, pitched 132 innings, and had a good record of 10 wins, 5 losses, and an ERA of 3.14.

Ohtani, who had a stellar season, unanimously won the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the second time in his career.

The number one team in need of recruiting Ohtani is the San Francisco Giants. MLB.com said, “San Francisco lacks star players. I know they tried to sign both Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa last offseason. “This year’s team slugging percentage was 0.383, the lowest in the National League (NL).”

San Francisco's offense was considered a weakness in the 2023 season. Not only the slugging percentage but also the team batting average (0.235) was the lowest in the NL. The on-base percentage (0.312) ranked 14th out of 15 NL teams.

San Francisco, which suffered from poor batting, ranked 4th in the National League West Division with a season record of 79 wins and 83 losses, failing to advance to the postseason for two consecutive years.

MLB.com said, “San Francisco needs Ohtani, a star player with slugging ability. “There is no team where Ohtani will be more helpful than San Francisco,” he emphasized.

The Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays, who need to strengthen their batting lineup and recruit star players, ranked 2nd and 3rd, respectively. In Seattle, slugger Eugenio Suarez (Arizona Diamondbacks), who hit 246 home runs in his big league career, left the team through a trade on the 23rd. 4th place is the New York Mets, 5th place is the New York Yankees.

The LA Dodgers, who have been consistently mentioned as Ohtani's destination, were ranked 10th. MLB.com predicted that the Dodgers will focus on strengthening their starting mound. Ohtani underwent right elbow ligament replacement surgery last September. He will not be able to throw the ball next season, and is expected to double as a two-batter starting in 2025. slotplayground.com