The race to sign Shohei Ohtani just became a bit easier for those teams still involved, as two clubs have now bowed out.
According to a post on X from MLB insider Michael Marino: "Source: Ohtani sweepstakes are moving along and the Texas Rangers and at least one team in the AL East has dropped out. Teams who feel they aren't real players are beginning to take themselves out of talks."
Moreno then added on to that initial post, clarifying who the second team in question was: "Update: Believe the Boston Red Sox are out, or at the very least looking elsewhere at the moment."
This is a fascinating development on multiple fronts. First of all, the Rangers weren't initially thought to be major players in trying to sign Ohtani — until they won the World Series. Once that happened, their club began to get associated with the Japanese superstar, and rumors swirled that they intended to make a serious run at Ohtani.
Then again, the Rangers just won the World Series. Perhaps they realized that they actually don't need Ohtani in order to win — or at least weren't willing to pay whatever enormous price Ohtani will demand on the market. For that reason, the Rangers bowing out of the Ohtani sweepstakes isn't nearly as surprising as the second team Marino mentioned.
Just last month, the Boston Red Sox were thought to be "a real threat" in signing Ohtani. Not only has Ohtani expressed his love for Fenway Park, but he signed a gigantic endorsement deal with Boston-based New Balance earlier this year. And the Red Sox are desperately seeking a new superstar after a few sub-par seasons following Mookie Betts' departure to Los Angeles.
So why are the BoSox now bowing out?
Well, perhaps the club got honest with themselves, realized that their roster has numerous holes at the moment, and recognized that while signing Ohtani — superstar that he is — would be great for ticket sales and marketing, it still wouldn't make the Red Sox a serious threat to win the World Series. For that reason, perhaps Boston's money (which they have a lot of) is better suited to signing multiple players who would fill more of those aforementioned roster holes.
While this news surely isn't what Boston fans wanted to hear, perhaps it's best for their organization's long-term success.
It's tough to imagine many Rangers fans are lamenting Marino's post. They just won a World Series, after all — shouldn't they still be out celebrating?
