Shohei Ohtani Rumors: Dodgers 'Not Quite as Clean a Fit' for Star After Elbow Injury

The Los Angeles Dodgers' early status as favorites to sign Shohei Ohtani in free agency could have changed due to the two-way star's impending elbow procedure.

Ohtani will not be cleared to pitch again until 2025, according to his agent.

There is belief around MLB that this news makes the Dodgers "not quite as clean a fit" for the Los Angeles Angels star, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

The Dodgers' pitching rotation is filled with question marks, and they will be "very focused" on finding new starting pitchers this offseason, per Heyman.

Another lesser wrinkle in the trade is that "even Dodgers people have heard speculation Ohtani doesn't love hitting at Dodger stadium," Heyman wrote.

Ohtani is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

The Angels decided to pull Ohtani from the trade market in July in part because the team was "underwhelmed by the players offered in return," according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.

ESPN's Buster Olney estimated in March that Ohtani could command a price tag of over $600 million in free agency.

An MLB executive told the Los Angeles Times' Jorge Castillo in August that his injury "should affect his overall [money]," with another executive projecting Ohtani's contract to now end up around the $400 million mark.

Whichever team wins the Ohtani sweepstakes will be getting the hitter currently leading the AL with 91 walks and 44 home runs, as well as add a pitcher by 2025. The key will be finding a team willing to wait for the pitching help.

The Angels could still be in the mix to sign Ohtani. According to Gonzalez, some people around the league have questioned whether Arte Moreno, the longtime club owner who has backed the team's decision to keep Ohtani, will sell or step back from the team if Ohtani walks.

In addition to the Angels and Dodgers, a March poll of MLB insiders by ESPN's Kiley McDaniel suggested the wealthy New York Mets and New York Yankees as other potential landing spots for Ohtani.

That all means plenty of eyes on Ohtani as he recovers from surgery. The Angels star, who last played on September 3, was treated Tuesday by the same doctor who performed his Tommy John surgery in 2018, according to the Associated Press.