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3 reasons the Mets and Shohei Ohtani are still a perfect match in free agency
The Mets have a young core they can develop alongside Ohtani, along with some Hall of Fame mentorship next season
Ohtani has accomplished so much over the course of his MLB career that it is hard to imagine he's only 29 years old. Whichever team signs him in free agency will have multiple season of prime Ohtani, which is enough to change the course of an entire franchise.
For the Mets, having such a promising young nucleus to pair with Ohtani would work to their advantage. If Shohei wants to go to a team that has a chance of competitng for a World Series every season, that team would need to have a solid foundation, which the Mets have with Francisco Alvarez, Pete Alonso, Brett Baty and more. Pair that group with Steve Cohen's ability to spend money on more marquee free agents, and that might just be enough to convince Ohtani that the Mets are serious about contending.
In the short term, Ohtani would get some additional advice from two of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game. Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander would provide excellent mentorship for someone who is on their way to becoming one of the all time greats, and they would form one of the most high profile trios in MLB history.
Obviously the Mets lack of success in 2023 will work against them in the Ohtani sweepstakes. However, its easy to buy into the potential of these young Mets, and having a chance to work alongside Scherzer and Verlander would make Ohtani a seamless fit into the Mets current timeline.