Three presumed contenders for Shohei Ohtani reportedly are out of the running for the Japanese star, perhaps increasing the odds for the Toronto Blue Jays to land the top free agent in baseball.
ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Friday the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers are out of the running for Ohtani, who is expected to sign the richest contract in baseball history.
Passan says the Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels, where Ohtani has played for his entire major-league career, are among the teams still in the hunt.
Passan also reports it is unclear where the San Francisco Giants stand in the battle for Ohtani.
Later Monday, The New York Post's Jon Heyman also confirmed the Blue Jays are in the mix for Ohtani's services.
The 29-year-old Ohtani became the first two-time unanimous MVP, winning the AL honour in 2021 and this year.
Ohtani was voted MLB's best designated hitter on Thursday and joined David Ortiz as the only players to win the award three years in a row.
Ohtani won the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award after hitting .304 with an AL-high 44 homers, 96 RBIs, eight triples and 20 stolen bases for the Angels in a season at the plate that ended Sept. 3 because of an oblique injury. The two-way star was 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts on the mound, striking out 167 and walking 55 in 132 innings before tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Aug. 23.
Ohtani will not pitch in 2024.
-- with files from The Associated Press
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