Where will Shohei sign? We asked a psychic who's been right before
She correctly picked the star's landing spot in 2017; can she do it again?
It's the question of baseball's offseason: Where will Shohei Ohtani sign?
Experts from across the sports world are weighing in every day. There are trackers. Potential teammates are making their pitches. Ohtani is holding secret meetings to avoid rumors spiraling out of control. Google searches are filled with different ways of asking about the topic.
(To answer that second-to-last inquiry, yes, Shohei Ohtani is good.)
But what about the question at hand?
Well, we could side with one of the hundreds of baseball analysts or ... we could go with someone who makes a living predicting the future: A psychic.
Shara Ogin, a life coach and professional clairvoyant, correctly predicted Ohtani's landing spot when he first came over from Japan in 2017. So, of course, we wanted to reach out to her again to get her thoughts this time around. Although she said she doesn't pay attention to baseball and didn't even pay attention back then, she was excited to make her prediction.
Because 30 teams seemed a bit overwhelming, we gave her eight of the major suitors: The Angels, Dodgers, Padres, Mets, Mariners, Red Sox, Rangers and Giants. Ogin took about 24 hours to read an article or two, watch a video about Ohtani's free-agent journey and meditate on the subject.
"Yeah, I'll look at the vibration of each one," she said.
Four teams -- the Dodgers, Padres, Red Sox and Rangers -- got a very quick no, with one being the biggest and quickest "no" of all.
"Yeah, the Giants," Ogin told me right away. "I read an article yesterday that said Ohtani's gonna go to the Giants and I just got this 'no' feeling in my body. Even though I don't know anything about these teams."
Two other teams seemed to have a decent chance at getting the two-time MVP.
The Mets were the first for whom Ogin felt some feeling.
"That one is running up," she said, smiling. "I definitely get a strong possibility for that one. That big-city draw to New York. I had that thought."
The second? The Mariners. The reason for Seattle was a bit more unclear.
"I'd say that's also a possibility," Ogin told me. "I'm not sure why, actually. I just kind of looked at the vibration and got a yes. Maybe it's something about the offer or him being comfortable there? Ultimately, he's a Cancer. They like to be comfortable in their home and in their environment and create a safe place wherever they are. So maybe there's something about that."
But the strongest positive energy she got was, quite surprisingly, from the team he's been on. The last of the eight teams left. The only MLB team he's ever known.
The Los Angeles Angels.
"Ohtani's soul's purpose is to teach others that you can do anything to inspire and empower people to rise up," Ogin said. "At the root of this is an inborn commitment toward honor, duty and service. So, I see Ohtani as a caring, curious and insightful individual with a strong tie to family and nurturing. He may have a tough outer shell that may be hard to read into, but underneath he seems like a quiet, sweet, vulnerable human being."
"It's really that strong sense of family values as to why I'm leaning towards the Angels. It could be your family of origin -- your genetic family. The country where he's devoted and committed to, Japan. As well as, I'm guessing, he's created a bit of a family with the Angels."
That all makes sense. Ohtani has been with the Halos since he joined MLB -- nearly six years. It's likely where he feels most comfortable. He's mentioned in the past that he does love the team, which does play in one of the closest locations to his homeland of Japan.
Ogin also mentioned that money -- although it could be the most money ever paid to a baseball player -- won't factor into his decision as much as we think it will.
"I don't think he's very money motivated," she told me. "I've read a few things like, 'Who's going to pay him the most?' I don't think he's going to base his decision on money. What's more important is his honor and duty and his prestige. Leaving a legacy. The legacy I don't believe is for himself. It's really for his family, for his team, the people he wants to raise up. His country and the world, basically."
This also makes sense. If you remember back in 2017, Ohtani didn't really see "wealth" as a motivating factor when playing baseball. Additionally, he has said he wants to win with the Angels and he would leave quite the legacy if he led the team -- one that has made the playoffs just once in the last 15 seasons -- to World Series glory.
So yes, breaking news: Ohtani back to the Angels. Or maybe the Mets or Mariners. The decision has been made. Maybe.