The news surrounding the free-agency decision of Shohei Ohtani became one of the most followed events in sports history, drawing comparisons to LeBron James’ decision to leave Cleveland for Miami. All of the hype around Ohtani’s decision brought plenty of fanfare, conspiracy theories and everything else that comes with a free agent of his stature. His plane departing for Toronto was the perfect distraction, just for the Japanese superstar to announce he’s moving to the nearby Dodgers for a 10-year, $700 million dollar contract.
The Pirates were never one of the teams rumored to have a shot at Ohtani, as Pittsburgh is more known for losing players to free-agency than gaining them, and there was perhaps no bigger loss to the open market than the infamous Barry Bonds.