Bowden wouldn't be surprised if Giants out-bid everyone for Ohtani

Bowden wouldn't be surprised if Giants out-bid everyone for Ohtani originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants are widely viewed as one of the many MLB teams who will have serious interest in signing superstar free agent Shohei Ohtani this offseason.

With Ohtani's free agency underway, San Francisco is preparing to pull out all the stops in an effort to land the two-way star and many believe the Giants will be among the teams to offer Ohtani the largest contract this offseason, including former MLB GM Jim Bowden.

Bowden discussed the latest on Ohtani's free agency Sunday on MLB Network Radio and why he wouldn't be surprised if the Giants offer Ohtani the most money.

"I don't think there's any doubt the Giants are going to offer Shohei Ohtani a half a billion dollars and I won't be surprised if they out-bid the Dodgers," Bowden said. "I won't be surprised if they out-bid the industry. My question is: Will he sign there?"

Well ... will he?

"My intel has told me, clearly, and I think Shohei has said it publicly through his translator, I'm not 100 percent sure but I think he has. But it's been very clear throughout the process that winning is going to top everything. It's not about the most money, it's about the best chances at the most times on the World Series stage.

"And I believe the Texas Rangers have the best shot to land him, with the Dodgers and the Mariners. I do think winning matters and I don't see the Giants' path to winning and as well as I thought the Dodgers would be on that list, all of a sudden I have a lot of questions about their pitching long-term. So that's kind of my early take on Ohtani."

While Bowden doesn't view the Giants as the ideal landing spot for Ohtani, there's no doubt in his mind that San Francisco will be the team driving up the price for the AL MVP frontrunner.

"Would I be surprised if San Francisco puts the biggest offer in front of Ohtani? Not at all," Bowden reiterated. "Would I be surprised if San Francisco is the team that drives the financial train for him? Not at all, I think they'll be the lead train."

While there hasn't been much Ohtani news yet, multiple MLB GMs told ESPN that Ohtani's market could develop quickly and the star could sign in the coming weeks, potentially even before the winter meetings begin Dec. 4 in Nashville, Tenn.

The Giants, while their roster might pale in comparison to some of Ohtani's other suitors, still could have a legitimate chance to land potentially the greatest free agent of all time if they were to out-bid their competitors.

Which, per Bowden, would not be surprising.

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