According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, three major teams seem to have shifted their attention away from Shohei Ohtani, and indication that they have perhaps been told they're out of the running. Per Passan, the Mets, Red Sox, and Rangers are seemingly out on Ohtani. Those are three teams that were legitimate threats to land the megastar, which only increases the SF Giants' odds of landing Ohtani. Passan adds that the Dodgers, Cubs, Blue Jays, and Angels are known to still be in the running for Ohtani, and that the San Francisco Giants' status is "unknown." Per reports, Ohtani wants things kept as quiet as possible, so that's not necessarily a bad position for the Giants to be in.
The Winter Meetings kick off in Nashville on Sunday. What's on the Giants' agenda on the offseason's biggest stage? Landing a superstar should be priority No. 1. Ohtani certainly would suffice. Yoshinobu Yamamoto reportedly won't meet with finalists until the week after the Winter Meetings, so don't expect his signing to go down in Nashville. The SF Giants would be wise, though, to improve their team to prove to Ohtani that they'd be in a position to win with him. It doesn't help that Korean star Jung Hoo Lee has yet to be posted, as he profiles as a strong fit for the Giants. Cody Bellinger is another who seems to fit well.
Finally, Gabe Kapler landed on his feet. We learned today that the Giants' fired manager was hired as Assistant General Manager of the Miami Marlins under new President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix, who was hired away from his position as General Manager of the Rays just weeks ago. Kapler joins several of his Giants coaches in landing on his feet after not being retained by the Giants. Kai Correa, Craig Albernaz, Andrew Bailey, Brian Bannister, Ethan Katz, and Donnie Ecker are among Kapler's initial staff with the Giants that now have prominent roles with other organizations.
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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.
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