Shohei Ohtani is “more concerned about the quality of the team” in free agency, MLB insider claims

Shohei Ohtani has a lot of things to consider when choosing his prospective new team in free agency. It has been reported that location will play a big role in his decision, as it did when he first came over from Japan. West Coast teams had the most similar time zone, which made it a little more favorable.

However, in choosing a new team in free agency, unless he decides to re-sign, Ohtani is reportedly less concerned about geography than one might think. In fact, MLB insider Jon Morosi reports that Ohtani's more worried about the quality of the team he joins.

He said:

"The difference between this free agency and the first time that he came to North America is that he is probably less concerned about geography and more concerned about the quality of the team he is going to. Yes, money is going to matter, we know that. Yes, the Dodgers remain the favorite to sign him and they are a West Coast team... When you look East... get to the best team you can get to."

There are numerous teams supposedly in the running for the Los Angeles Angels superstar, and the location of said teams is not going to matter as much as earlier reports might have suggested.

Which teams could sign Shohei Ohtani?

Since location is almost a non-factor for the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, every team is on board. It was earlier reported that he would be interested in an East Coast team, and this new report says that any team in the country and in Canada could be in play.

That still leaves the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have location, money and team quality going for them, as the favorites. It also means that a lot of others will be competing.

That likely includes both the New York Mets and New York Yankees. The Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants will more than likely toss their hat in the ring. The Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox are dark horse candidates for the two-way star as well.