Shohei Ohtani Rumors: Contract Negotiations in 'Final Stretch' amid Dodgers Buzz

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani reportedly may be nearing his decision in MLB free agency.

According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, the reigning American League MVP is believed to be entering the "final stretch" of negotiations and is expected to meet with "a small group of teams" in Los Angeles this weekend.

Nicholson-Smith noted that while the Los Angeles Dodgers are favored to sign Ohtani, the Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants remain in the sweepstakes as well.

The field for Ohtani has already been whittled down, as ESPN's Jeff Passan reported this week that the Texas Rangers, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox turned their attention to other free agents.

Ohtani, 29, has spent his entire six-year MLB career as a member of the Angels, but with the team failing to make the playoffs even once during his tenure, Ohtani is exploring other options that could give him a better chance to win.

Even without the playoffs, Ohtani has established himself as the best player in baseball, especially over the past three seasons.

The slugging designated hitter and ace starting pitcher was named AL MVP for the first time in 2021 and finished second in 2022 behind only New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who hit an AL-record 62 home runs that season.

In 2023, Ohtani set career marks with a .304 batting average, .412 on-base percentage and .654 slugging percentage, plus he led the AL with 44 home runs and had 102 runs scored, 95 RBI and 20 stolen bases.

Ohtani also made 23 starts as a pitcher and went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 167 strikeouts over 132 innings.

A torn UCL in his throwing elbow ended Ohtani's 2023 season a bit prematurely, and it will prevent Ohtani from pitching in 2024, but he will still be available as a hitter and remains one of the best players in the league even in that singular role.

While the torn UCL creates some uncertainty regarding Ohtani's future as a pitcher, he is still expected to land the biggest contract in MLB history.

Per Passan, Ohtani is likely to "surge well beyond" the $500 million mark with his deal and could approach $600 million.

Ohtani could be a franchise-altering player for whichever organization signs him, and it looks like one of five teams will secure one of the biggest additions in history in the very near future.