Seattle was out in full force for the past week. Hosting their third MLB all-star game in franchise history spectacularly showcased the city. However, there is one major highlight that caught everyone by surprise. Mariners fans chanted for Shohei Ohtani to “Come to Seattle”. Implying that the Seattle faithful want him in navy blue and northwest green during his first at-bat.
Ohtani who is hitting free agency this upcoming offseason is expected to get a lot of suitors from multiple teams, along with a bag as well. Ohtani has grown frustrated with the Los Angeles Angels’ mediocrity by never making the playoffs in his young career. The Mariners have strong ties with Japanese culture thanks to Ichiro and were one of the favorites to sign Shohei Ohtani when he first came to the league in 2018 making for an interesting destination for the two-way player.
After the game, Ohtani spoke with the media and shared his thoughts:
“Never experienced anything like that, but I definitely heard it,” Ohtani told reporters through a translator after coming out of the game. “I was just trying to focus on my at-bat and the game.” “Every time I come here, the fans are passionate,”. “They’re really into the game so it’s very impressive. I actually spent a couple offseasons in Seattle. So I like the city. It’s beautiful.”
So what are the chances of Ohtani actually coming to Seattle? Jeff Fletcher who is an Angels beat writer came on 710 ESPN Seattle to discuss the possibility:
“A lot of people think they know (what he wants), but I think we don’t really”. “I think people assume he wants a team that’s going to be good, obviously because he wants to win”. “But a lot of this is just assumptions; we don’t know for sure.”
Nobody knows where he’s going. But with the Angels starting to explore trade offers, and the Mariners desperately in need of a DH, the hype train is only going to get louder as time goes by. The real question is can Mariners owner John Stanton willing be back up the brink trunks for him? As he was highly criticized for spending any money at all. Regardless, we will have to see when the time comes.
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