Shohei Ohtani rumors: Latest update has the Angels still in, 3 teams out per MLB Insider

There appears to be a decent chance that Shohei Ohtani will sign his free agency contract at the Winter Meetings, which occur next week in Nashville, Tennessee. With that in mind, the group of teams that still appear to have a chance has been leaked.

Jeff Passan of ESPN (subscription required) said that according to sources "the field for Ohtani's services has winnowed." Despite that, there still appear to be at least four teams still in on the AL MVP including the Los Angeles Angels.

LA Angels among four confirmed suitors still in on Shohei Ohtani, 3 other teams appear to be out

"The Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, who were among the initial group of suitors, have turned their attention to other players, sources said. Among those confirmed by sources to be still in the bidding: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and Angels. The San Francisco Giants have long had a fondness for Ohtani, though where they stand in these sweepstakes is unknown."

Jeff Passan - ESPN

This is a pretty important update here from Passan. Big market giants like the Rangers, Red Sox, and Mets who were initially in on Shohei, have begun focusing elsewhere. The Mets in particular with their ability to offer more money than anyone seemed like a real threat, and from an Angels perspective, having the Rangers out of the picture is obviously a great thing.

Whether the Angels can convince Ohtani to remain in Anaheim remains to be seen, but their being one of the final four teams that are confirmed to be still in the running can only be seen as a good thing when it comes to their chances. The odds are still long, but are probably better than they were at the beginning of all of this.

The Giants remain a bit of a mystery according to Passan. There aren't many reasons why Ohtani would logically choose San Francisco outside of financial, but it's unclear where they stand at this point in time. There could always be mystery suitors, but the Angels have to like their chances at least a little bit.