3 reasons why the Mets should be the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes frontrunners

2) Reason NY Mets should be considered favorites to land Ohtani: The Billy Eppler connection

This past offseason, the Mets hired Billy Eppler to be their General Manager. Eppler came with some questionable history as he was the General Manager of the Angels not too long ago. The Angels haven't made the postseason since 2014.

Eppler has made some excellent moves as Mets GM as they had a great offseason that has led them to where they are today. He did also fall short at the deadline not acquiring a reliever the Mets desperately needed.

However, none of this is why he matters in regards to Ohtani. Billy Eppler was the driving force behind Ohtani landing in Anaheim. The Angels stole Ohtani from the Mariners despite their Ichiro connection, and it was in large part thanks to the connection Eppler made with Ohtani.

Eppler had watched Ohtani in Japan and had expressed interest in the Japanese phenom for years. His ability to go the extra mile in negotiations is what set the Angels apart from the competition.

Part of the Ohtani saga has to involve Ohtani liking where he ends up. A chance to reunite with Eppler in the big city on a team ready to win consistently might be very appealing to Ohtani and will definitely be appealing to Eppler.