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The New York Yankees were a surprisingly poor squad in 2023, finishing in fourth place and not remotely smelling a playoff berth in the AL. Naturally, the standards in the Big Apple are high, and they may be very active in free agency to reverse their fortunes next season. The biggest free agent perhaps in modern baseball history, Shohei Ohtani, is in theory available for them to sign.
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We decided to ask Google Bard (an AI) whether or not the Yankees' theoretical addition of the two-way superstar makes them the favorites to finally win their 28th World Series title. Its answer might surprise you:
"Yes, Shohei Ohtani would make the Yankees World Series favorites. His dual-threat abilities as a hitter and pitcher would significantly bolster the team's offense and starting rotation. Ohtani's presence would elevate the Yankees to a level where they could compete with any team in baseball for the championship."
It is worth noting that Bard is off on one point. The Yankees would not receive any pitching from Ohtani in 2024 due to his elbow injury. He can't pitch in 2024, but he can in the future. The outlook for 2024 is perhaps not as high for the former Los Angeles Angels player as it might otherwise be as a result.
However, it stands to reason that adding the reigning American League MVP to the 2022 AL MVP's squad would make them a genuine contender.
His offensive presence alongside Aaron Judge would mean increased opportunities to hit home runs for whichever one came first in the lineup, since they wouldn't want to walk a hitter to then face Judge or Ohtani.
Will the Yankees sign Shohei Ohtani?
Whether or not Bard's prediction on if the Yankees would be favorites with Shohei Ohtani is accurate or not remains to be seen. It won't be known until the slugger signs with New York, if he ends up doing so.
Right now, no reports have linked Ohtani to any specific team aside from an expectation that the Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorites. The Yankees can't be ruled out, but there's no indication that they're going to add the two-way Japanese star.
