The offseason kicked into gear this week with the General Manager Meetings taking place in Scottsdale, Arizona. Though the meetings were eventually ended early due to a virus circling the bases of the baseball world, there was still plenty of reporting about how markets are shaping up for various clubs and players. The big star of the winter is set to be but only dribs and drabs of information have come out relating to him so far, with and rounding up some of the details. Ohtani is the top free agent available, head and shoulders above the rest. The two-way superstar has been the best player in baseball of late, putting together a three-year run of excellence that is perhaps the greatest the sport has ever seen. Hes hit 124 home runs, stolen 57 bases and slashed .277/.379/.585 in that time for a wRC+ of 157. Hes also to sed 428 1/3 innings with a 2.84 earned run average. Elbow surgery will keep him from pitching in 2024 but he will still hit, and will presumably do all he can to return to the mound in 2025 and beyond. There has never been a player like this or a free agent like this, which puts him center stage. It has been a sumed by many that he is most likely to land with a traditional big spending club such as the Dodgers, but hes such a ma sive superstar that its po sible many dark horse teams get into the mix. Marketing opportunities, both in North America and around the world, should offset some of the money it takes to land him. Those factors, along with his unprecedented talents, could open the door to unlikely suitors. No one knows where hes going to end up, Astros general manager Dana Brown said to Nightengale. And I think thats exciting for the game. You just dont know whats going to happen. I think there may be a wild card team out there that Tracy McGrady Jersey s going to surface. These teams can just come out of nowhere. Indeed, any club that is not interested in Ohtani would be more noteworthy than a club that is. But little information was to be had at the meetings, as neither Ohtani nor his agent Nez Balelo were present. Many baseball decision makers hemmed and hawed when directly asked about their interest in Ohtani, many commenting on his immense talent while adding that any club would be happy to have him. Perhaps the most absurd instance of ducking the question came from Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, when speaking with . When asked about how he would value such a unique player, he said merely I dont know. When asked if he would need to figure out an answer, Presumably so was the response. With various smokescreens coming from different directions, there is little left to do but try to read the tea leaves. Heyman says the Dodgers are considered the favorite because of their payroll space, track record of on-field succe s and Ohtanis reported fondne s for Southern California. But he also adds that the Angels want a reunion and the Padres are interested as well. The latter club is reportedly trying to figure out whether to trade or extend , with Heyman adding that president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has little interest in a trade. However, if they can succe sfully sign Ohtani, that could change. He adds that the Yankees and Mets will check in but believe Ohtani is reluctant to live in New York. Heyman admits that hes basing that on Ohtanis initial arrival in North America six years ago, when he was reportedly choosing between the Angels, Dodgers, Padres, Rangers, Giants, Mariners and Cubs, mostly West Coast teams and none in New York. At that time, he was subject to the amateur bonus pool system and wasnt going to get more than a few million bucks regardle s of where he signed, so having a geographical preference didnt hurt him financially. Now it would be in his best interest to at least pretend hes open to signing anywhere, in order to have more suitors and boost his bidding. Whether he privately has a strong geographic preference right now is unknown. The Cubs were the primary exception to the Western preference last time around and it seems they are hoping that Ohtani still thinks of them fondly. Nightengale lists them as a serious contender for Ohtani and adds that several GMs are saying that the Cubs may be the most aggre sive team on Ohtani. He also adds that the Rangers are considered a serious contender, which isnt surprising after their World Series win that was fuelled by several notable free agent signings in recent years. As mentioned, the Angels would like a reunion and shouldnt be counted out. I think this is a very desirable place to play, Minasian said to Nightengale. Its in a great part of the country. We have an outstanding fan base. The players that have played here since Ive been here, have been really, really positive with their experiences. So, with anybody on the market, I think we have a chance. Though the Angels havent had much succe s on the field lately, they have done plenty of big deals under owner Arte Moreno. That includes a $360MM extension for , while and got $254MM and $245MM in free agency, respectively. Re-signing Ohtani will likely require them to go beyond that stratosphere and into the mesosphere, but theres at least some precedent there. I wouldnt put anything past, Minasian said. I think its something that for the right opportunities, ownership is all about winning. Well do what we can to make the team as good as we can. wrote this week about the interest of the Giants, talking to president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. Weve got a good amount of payroll flexibility, Zaidi said, so anybody that we think can be an impact player for us, even on a long-term deal, were going to be looking at. covered Ohtani from the Mariners perspective, highlighting that Dipoto was much more vocal in his interest back when Ohtani was first coming over in 2017. There are likely a dozen other clubs working on their overtures to Ohtani at this very moment. How it will all play out and on what timeline remains to be seen. Ohtani will likely want to talk teams about things beyond just money, such as how long they are willing to let him try pitching, what they would do if/when he can no longer take the mound, etc. Those conversations may take a few weeks and its been speculated that he may be signed by the Winter Meetings in the first week of December, but there are still plenty of unknowns about perhaps the most fascinating free agent of all-time. Hakeem Olajuwon Jersey