Report: Shohei Ohtani to Decide on Landing Spot by Week's End amid Latest MLB Rumors

The wait for Shohei Ohtani to decide where he's going to be playing in 2024 could be coming to an end very soon.

Per MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the two-time American League MVP is expected to make his free-agent decision by the end of the weekend.

This report comes after Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Tuesday that signing Ohtani is their "top priority" right now.

In addition to Roberts confirming the Dodgers met with Ohtani, Morosi cited "strong indications" that the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants have also talked with his camp.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post has reported the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs are still in the mix.

Roberts' public comments about Ohtani were interesting because there's been some frustration among people around MLB at how quiet and secretive the process has been thus far.

One reason for that, as The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported, is Ohtani's agent, Nez Balelo, has warned teams that any public leaks "of the process would be held against them."

It's not clear exactly what, if anything, that means. There's no indication the Dodgers have been ruled out because of what Roberts said, though there will certainly be a lot of speculation if Ohtani chooses to sign with a different team.

The Dodgers have long been considered the favorites to sign Ohtani. The Blue Jays have started to pick up steam since the start of the winter meetings, though no one in that organization has said a word about it since it was reported they spoke with the 29-year-old superstar.

Ohtani is clearly holding up everything else in free agency right now. Aaron Nola and Sonny Gray are the only players ranked among the top 25 free agents by MLB.com who have been signed so far.

The teams in the mix for Ohtani that don't get him will need to pivot to whatever their secondary plan is going to be. The club that does land him will spend all winter celebrating the acquisition of a transcendent star.

Ohtani has won the AL MVP via unanimous vote twice in the past three seasons. He set career highs in batting average (.304), on-base percentage (.412) and slugging percentage (.654) over 135 games in 2023.