Shohei Ohtani free agency: What two-way superstar can offer contending teams, plus six out-of-the-box hopefuls

Which contending teams most need what Ohtani has to offer?

The free agency of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is upon us. The word unprecedented is probably overused in the sports world, but this time it's really true. We've never seen a player hit free agency who was one of the best hitters in the league in addition to an adept base-stealer in addition to having the ability to pitch like an ace. 

There's been plenty of talk -- and will continue to be -- about where Ohtani will sign. We'll hear plenty about the Dodgers and a few other mega-market teams. Which teams have what it takes to land Ohtani, both in fit and monetarily, is the discussion. 

What if we turned this on its head, though. Which teams need what Ohtani brings the most? Let's check it out. 

Remember, Ohtani has made it known he wants to play for a winner, so only teams looking like contenders the next few years will even be mentioned.

Designated hitter

Ohtani in the last three seasons hit .277/.379/.585 (161 OPS+) with his batting average steadily rising annually. Last year was his best year on a rate basis, as he hit .304/.412/.654 (184 OPS+). He led the AL with 44 homers despite having his season cut short by injury to 135 games. We could go on and on, but, basically, he's one of the best offensive players in baseball. Every team could use him. 

Which hopeful contenders most need better DH production, though? 

The Brewers were dead last in the majors in DH OPS last season. The Guardians were 29th. The Diamondbacks were 28th and though they upgraded to Tommy Pham at the trade deadline, it was still an issue. The Mariners were last in batting average and 26th in OPS among DHs. I'm not sure where the Mets are going to be in their process of rebuilding a contender, but they were 24th in OPS for DHs. The Reds were 25th. The Cubs were 21st and the defending champion Rangers were 22nd. 

Considering possible free agency losses, we can also add the Blue Jays, Marlins, Dodgers and Giants can be added to the mix.

Oh, and the Angels. Without Ohtani, their DH situation is bleak. 

The teams that stick out the most to me here would be the Mariners and Diamondbacks, though seeing names like the Cubs, Rangers, Dodgers, Mets and Giants in here suggests it's the usual suspects. 

An ace ... in 2025

It's a lot tougher to navigate this due to Ohtani's Tommy John surgery, meaning he won't be back in a rotation full time until 2025. We can't know for sure where the free agents this offseason land, not to mention next offseason. 

It sure seems like the Orioles could use frontline starting pitching. I don't think there's a chance in the world they'll pony up for Ohtani, though. Tyler Glasnow comes off the books for the Rays after 2024, but, again, I just can't see them spending what it would take to get Ohtani. 

The Blue Jays will have both Hyun Jin Ryu and Yusei Kikuchi come off the books before 2025. The Red Sox owe Chris Sale $27.5 million in 2024 before a vesting option in 2025 that surely won't vest (he needs to finish top 10 in Cy Young voting). 

We don't know what'll happen with Jordan Montgomery in free agency this offseason, but Max Scherzer and Andrew Heaney are up after 2024. With Jacob deGrom returning from Tommy John surgery late in the 2024 season (if all goes according to plan), there's a natural fit for Ohtani here to enter the rotation with deGrom for 2025 after Scherzer and Heaney depart. 

With the Braves, Charlie Morton's deal would be done after 2024, though I'm inclined to believe the Braves go another route. The Phillies are more likely. Aaron Nola is a free agent this offseason and Zack Wheeler is only signed through 2024. The Mets also fit, as their rotation is mostly a mess. 

The Brewers have Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff under team control through 2024, but it's hard to see anything working out, financially, with Ohtani that still left them in a place where they could contend. 

The Cubs, meanwhile, have plenty of financial muscle and only Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon as sure things in the rotation past 2024. The Cardinals are known to want to spend big on pitching this offseason, but it's unclear if they'd want to throw it all at Ohtani only to have to wait until 2025. 

We saw how thin the Diamondbacks' rotation is in the playoffs. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly will likely still be around in 2025 and Brandon Pfaadt surely will be. Slotting Ohtani up there looks pretty nice. 

I have no idea what kind of offseason is in store for the Padres, but they do make sense. The only sure things in the rotation moving forward are Jos Musgrove and Yu Darvish. The Giants only have Logan Webb past 2024. 

And, of course, there are the Dodgers. Clayton Kershaw's is once again a free agent. Walker Buehler is a free agent after 2024. We could keep going, but it's basically Dustin May, Ryan Pepiot and any prospects that pan out between now and then. 

Fun fits

Look, everyone has already examined Ohtani on the Dodgers and they are the favorites to land him for many reasons. Given the hole left at DH with J.D. Martinez hitting free agency and the lack of known quantities in the rotation in the near future, they are the best fit, easily. It's just too obvious and lacks a fun factor. 

We also know what it would be like to see him on the Angels. Connecting him with the Yankees (yes, still) and even Mets (especially after the last two offseasons) in free agency is boring. What are the other fits? Here are six fun ones. 

Diamondbacks - The defending NL champs are an up-and-coming team without a ton of money committed moving forward. There's an obvious rotation spot that needs to be filled and they got very little production from DH this season. The lineup could use a game-changer like Ohtani in the middle. I'm still picturing Gabriel Moreno bunting from the three-hole in Game 5 of the World Series and getting annoyed. They could also use the star power Ohtani brings. This is a massively fun fit that seems at least semi-realistic. 

Cubs - Their star should be on the rise after a mild breakthrough in 2023. There's a good farm system, ownership that is willing to spend and they just went out and grabbed Craig Counsell to make him the highest-paid manager ever. There's an immediate everyday opening at DH and an Ohtani-Steele combo atop the rotation would be great. 

Giants - There's certainly been a star-power void the last two seasons and this front office has already tried and failed with Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa. There's an open DH spot with Joc Pederson hitting free agency and Ohtani would form a nice 1-2 punch in the rotation with Webb. Also, it's time to bring back the constant splash hits, taking us back down memory lane to prime Barry Bonds. The lefty-swinging Ohtani fits the bill. 

Rangers - We know the Rangers aren't shy about spending massive free agency money after landing Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and deGrom in the last two offseasons. The World Series champs' DH in the playoffs was Mitch Garver and he's a good hitter, but he's also a free agent, a catcher by trade and is no Ohtani. I already laid out above how natural Ohtani would be to fit into the 2025 rotation. The defending champs are possibly major players here. 

Blue Jays - There's a reasonable opening at DH and Ohtani would join Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt and José Berríos in the 2025 rotation. After having massive expectations heading into 2022 only to see two wild-card spots and an 0-4 record in playoff games, the Blue Jays' fan base could sure use an injection of optimism along with reassurance that it'll be different this time around. What better way than grabbing Ohtani? 

Mariners - Will they spend? The Mariners barely missed the playoffs in 2023 and were ninth in the AL in OPS. How fun would it be to put Ohtani in the lineup behind Julio Rodríguez? The rotation by 2025 looks looks to have Luis Castillo, Robbie Ray, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert. Maybe Bryce Miller and/or Bryan Woo further develop, which would leave general manager Jerry Dipoto the ability to trade from strength to further beef up the offense. After a dormant offseason last time around -- failing to capitalize on the excitement from the 2022 playoff run -- Dipoto could really win back supporters by landing Ohtani. 

All roads probably still lead to Ohtani and the Dodgers, but in the meantime, we can picture the fun alternatives.