CONFIRMED DEAL: Red Sox have officially signed a two-time MVP who is keen to practise with his teammates

Will the Boston Red Sox come out of nowhere and sign arguably the most intriguing free agent in Major League Baseball?

The Red Sox have not been deemed frontrunners for two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani but they have been regularly noted as in the mix. MLB.com listed Boston as one of three darkhorse destinations to land the generational talent alongside the Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves.

“Ohtani is said to love hitting at Fenway Park, and in his two career starts there, he’s allowed one run while striking out 14 over nine innings,” MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand wrote. “Just as Chaim Bloom’s tenure was defined by his early trade of Mookie Betts, perhaps (Breslow’s) run as chief baseball officer will be launched by the signing of the two-time American League Most Valuable Player.”

Ohtani hit .304 with 78 extra-base hits including 44 home runs, 95 RBIs and a 1.066 OPS in 135 games this season. On the mound, he posted a 10-5 record with a 3.14 ERA, 167-to-55 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .184 batting average against and a 1.061 WHIP in 132 innings across 23 starts.

There is no question that Ohtani is a franchise-altering force, and that’s not even including his marketability.

In a normal year, it would be logical to assume that the Red Sox go all-in for Ohtani. However, Boston is starved for high-end pitching and might not be willing to wait around to get it. With Ohtani not returning to the mound until 2025, the Red Sox might have to invest the bulk of their resources in the pitching staff.