Shohei Ohtani expressed his desire to win prior to Monday’s Home Run Derby, while Mets pitcher Kodai Senga had what he jokingly called a “secret” conversation with the two-way superstar shortly after.
Connect all the dots, and Tiki says it leads to the Mets needing to go all in on Ohtani before the trade deadline.
“The Mets no longer have to worry or question whether or not Shohei Ohtani is going to leave the Angels…this may be lost in translation, but to me, it sounds like Shohei Ohtani is coming to the reality that he is never going to win in Los Angeles,” Tiki said. “Billy Eppler, who knows him well because he brought him here, and the Mets, who have all the money in the world to fix whatever ails them, have license to pounce on Shohei Ohtani right after this All-Star break. Shohei Ohtani is not going to be an Angel…pounce right now and get this star that can change the fortunes of your franchise.”
The Angels don’t seem eager to deal away a generational superstar, though they could lose him for nothing in free agency this winter. Still, recent reports indicate that the Halos don’t want to be the team that trades one of the best players ever, though Tiki says the Mets need to get on the phone and make them an offer they can’t refuse, while their players like Senga talk up the Mets to Ohtani.
“He is definitely lobbying Shohei Ohtani,” Tiki said of Senga. “And he’s definitely getting asked by Shohei Ohtani about New York.”
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