In the past five days, the Mets jettisoned closer David Robertson, No. 2 starter Max Scherzer, outfielder Mark Canha, setup man Dominic Leone, No. 1 starter Justin Verlander and outfielder Tommy Pham. They all but gave up on this season. And they may have cost themselves two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
Almost no one seems to know what will lure the 29-year-old Ohtani, perhaps the greatest baseball player the world has ever seen, when he becomes a free agent after this season. He has declined to comment on how much money he is seeking or which cities he most enjoys. But over and over, he has made one thing clear.
Late in 2021, his fifth straight losing season with the Angels, Ohtani said, through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, “I like the fans. I like the atmosphere in the organization. But my feelings of wanting to win are stronger.” Two weeks ago, at the All-Star game, Mizuhara characterized Ohtani’s position thus: “Those feelings get stronger year by year. It sucks to lose. He wants to win. That gets stronger every year.”
