The New York Mets are expected to be a major player in the Shohei Ohtani free agency race later this year, and a secret trip made by Steve Cohen could indicate they're ready to spend big.
Ohtani is expected to sign the largest contract in the history of sports later this year when he hits free agency, as he is currently in the final season of his Los Angeles Angels deal. The two-way star is baseball's biggest stud, and is widely recognised as the best player in the world.
Despite being committed to helping the Angels reach the post-season and make a run at the World Series, Ohtani's season will likely be surrounded in questions over his future. Expectation is that his contract could break the $600million mark, making him the highest-paid player in world sports, and there are only a few teams who could afford that.
The Mets seemingly have bottomless pockets, having shelled out nearly $500m during the most recent off-season in free agency alone, with the likes of Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz and Justin Verlander all joining for big money.
And according to The Athletic, Cohen was in Japan watching Ohtani pitch during the World Baseball Classic, though he insisted he wasn't there on a scouting mission. The Mets owner said to Ken Rosenthal: “Two reasons I was in Japan. I had my Asian portfolio manager and senior leadership offsite in Kyoto. I combined it with a father-daughters trip in Tokyo. I would have been there regardless if there wasn’t a game.”
It is also suggested in the same article that Ohtani wouldn't be against moving to the Mets if the offer presented itself, and that he would likely become the team's starting pitcher if he were to join.
The Mets' payroll is the highest on the east coast, and is only beaten by that of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are funded by a consortium of billionaires. Despite that, Cohen was willing to make an offer of $315m to Carlos Correa during his free agency bidding war during the off-season.
The fact he was willing to shell out so much extra cash suggests he'd be more than ready to pay whatever it is Ohtani wants when the time comes to pick a new team.
For his part, the Angels megastar insists he wants to keep his focus solely on Los Angeles this year. Speaking last month, Ohtani said: "This is my last year, and I’m aware of that. As of now, I’m an Angel, and that’s all I want to focus on." He added: "I’m really not thinking about free agency right now. I firmly believe that they are on the same page as me, that they want to win as much as I do. I mean, I can’t really tell you what they really are thinking, but I would like to believe that."
