MLB insider rubbishes idea of Shohei Ohtani heading to Citi Field in free agency: “I would be surprised if the Mets believed they had much of a shot"

Given their deep pockets and the willingness to dip into them, the New York Mets are considered a guaranteed team to get into the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes this winter. He's a free agent after the season's end and will have suitors lining up to throw money at him.

Throwing money is exactly what the Mets did this offseason, with the team earning the biggest payroll in baseball by a wide margin. They've been bad, so they may be keen to throw more money at a solution to the problem in the form of Shohei Ohtani.

According to Clutch Points, John Harper advised the fan base to pump the brakes:

“I would be surprised if the Mets believed that they had much of a shot to sign Ohtani."

It's no secret that Ohtani will command the highest contract in MLB history. If Aaron Judge, perhaps the best hitter in the game, earned $360 million last off-season being two years Ohtani's senior, then the elite hitter and elite pitcher will easily see $500 million or more.

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Why the Mets won't sign Shohei Ohtani

The Mets have that money, but the Los Angeles Angels have said that they intend on re-signing the two-way star. Arte Moreno knows what Shohei Ohtani means to his bottom line, so he'll probably match whatever offers the Japanese superstar lands.

Shohei Ohtani may not go to the Mets

Additionally, by all accounts, Ohtani loves Los Angeles. That makes the Los Angeles Dodgers a possibility, but he loves the Angels, too. Even though they're not very good, he may stay home next winter.

The biggest reason he would leave is to go to a winning franchise, but the Mets have a payroll well over $300 million and are sitting with a much worse record than the Angels and an 18.5-game deficit in the NL East.

That's not a situation Ohtani would likely be interested in, so with all the reasons to stay in LA, it doesn't appear as if the Mets have as much of a chance at signing the presumptive AL MVP, even if they throw all their money at him.