Enjoy getting to watch Shohei Ohtani at Petco Park this week

San Diego Padres fans will get to watch the best player on the planet take the field at Petco Park this week, as Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels come to town to kick off a three-game series. Ohtani, who has more home runs this season than Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado combined, is scheduled to be on the mound on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old felt like a realistic free agent target for Peter Seidler going into the season but here’s why it doesn’t look that great right now:

The Padres are under .500

Regardless of where Ohtani goes in the offseason he’s probably going to receive the biggest contract in Major League Baseball history so money isn’t going to make the Padres stand out.

What can help them stand out is having a winning team on the field and that’s not what San Diego has right now. They’re well under .500 (while the Angels are over .500) and have made the postseason twice in A.J. Preller’s tenure as general manager of the franchise.

Does Ohtani want to sign with a team for the remainder of his prime that hasn’t proven they can be a contender year in and year out?

Competition in Free Agency

As I mentioned, money isn’t what will dictate where Ohtani goes. He’s going to get plenty of it no matter where he signs on the dotted line. None of us know exactly what Ohtani wants in his next team but I’d imagine he wants to be on a consistent contender.

There are numerous options other than the Padres—even just in the NL West. How about the Los Angeles Dodgers? They’ve won the National League West nine of the last ten seasons and have more World Series appearances in the last six years than San Diego has in its history.

What about the San Francisco Giants? They are doing better than the Padres this year with less talent and have three World Series titles and five postseason appearances since 2010.

If winning drives Ohtani’s decision, I’m not sure he’ll think San Diego is the place to be based on the results (obviously I hope I’m wrong).