What are the odds that Shohei Ohtani "Comes to Texas" and plays for the Texas Rangers

A group of rambunctious fans took over the game on Tuesday night and injected electricity into the stadium and also some loud pleas for a certain Los Angeles Angels superstar. The game saw the Texas Rangers win again on Tuesday night taking game two of the series against the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 and winning their fifth series in a row. The story of the game was not Jordan Montgomery. He had a great performance pitching six innings and striking out a season-high nine batters. It was not Corey Seager, although he once again was amazing as he hit two home runs and had five RBIs on the night. It was the rowdy fans in section 133 who were audibly heard in-person and on the game broadcast from the first to the last pitch.

It all started from a simple instagram post and went viral from there.

It was organized by 20-year old Texas Rangers fan Jake Dupre. He started this community nine-years ago when he was 11 and has seen it grow over the years. It blossomed into a full fledged section takeover on Tuesday night that was seen, heard, and appreciated by the players and coaching staff. Dupre even got a moment in the sun when he was interviewed by Texas Rangers dugout reporter Emily Jones.

This section was loud all night, but one thing they did that really made waves across social media and that was chant, "Come to Texas" during every Shohei Ohtani at-bat. It was loud and taken notice of by Texas Rangers' broadcasters Dave Raymond and C.J. Nitkowski.

The talk around Ohtani is now shifting from a potential playoff run to his free agency. The Rangers fans are not going to be the last fan base to try and lure Ohtani to their city. The question becomes what would it take to sign Ohtani, does he fit on the roster, and what are the odds that Texas would be able to convince him to sign here rather than with other major league teams?

Next: The financial cost of signing Shohei Ohtani

Does Ohtani fit on the Texas Rangers roster?

This may be a stupid question. A talent like Ohtani will fit on any roster. Some roster modifications have to be made to truly incorporate a two-way talent into both the rotation and the lineup. The Rangers have to build a five-man rotation and then add Ohtani as the sixth man. They have to keep open the designated hitter spot, because Ohtani does not play in the field. Lets examine both of those situations separately.

The Texas Rangers rotation heading into 2024 currently will have Max Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, and Dane Dunning. Andrew Heaney has a chance to opt-out if he would like, Martin Perez is a free agent and not likely to be brought back. If Heaney opts in then he is your fifth starter. If he does not then they would have to sign a free agent or entrust Cody Bradford with that fifth spot. Then Ohtani starts once a week. That is a good rotation that will win a lot of games. Remember, that there is a chance that deGrom is able to rehab and rejoin the rotation in August or September of 2024.

The lineup is somewhat easier. Mitch Garver, Robbie Grossman, and Brad Miller will all be free agents this off-season. The DH role is open for 2024 and the Rangers could easily slide Ohtani into that role. The one negative is that Ohtani will take over the DH role every day. That means that no DH days for Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, or Jonah Heim unless Ohtani is sitting out that day. The negative of having DH tied up also has been to be taken with the knowledge that Ohtani is the best DH in baseball.

Ohtani will require some roster manipulation, but at the end of the day it is all worth it as he is among the best pitchers in baseball and one of the best hitters in baseball. If Texas can add him to both they will win a lot of games and be World Series contenders for the next several seasons.

Next: Can Texas actually compete to sign Ohtani?

Does Texas even have a shot to sign Ohtani?

The answer to this question could potentially be found in the past. In 2017 after he was posted by his Japanese team and allowed to take free agent meetings, he chose seven teams to meet with. Those teams were the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres. He eliminated the Yankees early on in the process and did not take a meeting with them.

The Ohtani True Value calculator at the end of the article throws out six contenders for Ohtani. The writer eliminates Texas and San Diego from the 2017 meetings list and adds the New York Mets. Ohtani did not want to play in New York back in 2017 and that has probably not changed. I think New York can safely be eliminated. I am not sure if the Cubs signing Ohtani turns them into a World Series contender. The other four I believe will all make great offers and are West Coast teams that are shorter flights away from Japan. They each have fan bases that are more diverse. They have ownership groups that are willing to pay top dollar. They each have built good enough teams adding Ohtani will make them World Series contenders.

Texas can compete with any of those teams, both financially and being competitive on the field. They are hurt by location, but they do have experience with Japanese superstars after having Yu Darvish pitch for the Texas Rangers from 2012-2017. They will be able to make any and all accommodations that Ohtani and his team could ask for. They have a beautiful ballpark, workout and recovery facilities, and a massive clubhouse. They absolutely have a team that could make a run at a World Series this season.

Remember the speculation said that Jacob deGrom was going to sign with the Atlanta Braves, Corey Seager was going to be a New York Yankee, and Nathan Eovaldi was going to be going back to Boston. All of that to say when this front office targets a player they want they normally close the deal with said player.