Shohei Ohtani headlines majors’ soon-to-be free agents, and there’s a sizable gap to the next name

CHICAGO — There is Shohei Ohtani, and then there is the rest of baseball’s soon-to-be free agents.

With the season winding down and the playoffs coming up, it’s almost time for major league teams to go shopping once again. And there is one player that is sure to dominate the conversation until he makes a decision.

It looks as if Ohtani is going to the open market after another stellar season with the Los Angeles Angels. The Japanese slugger is the favorite for the AL MVP award after batting .304 with 44 homers, 95 RBIs, eight triples and 20 steals. The right-hander also went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts on the mound.

The questions surrounding Ohtani’s free agency once centered on the money and length of a contract that could set multiple financial records for the sport, and exactly which teams might be willing to go into that territory to secure his services.

Those questions remain, but the situation has grown more complicated than it was as late as the All-Star break.

Ohtani tore a ligament in his elbow on Aug. 23 at Cincinnati, ending his pitching season. He remained in the Angels’ lineup as the designated hitter until he was shut down because of an oblique injury in early September.

Ohtani, who doesn’t turn 30 until July, had elbow surgery last week and will not pitch next season. The elbow injury, especially considering Ohtani had Tommy John surgery in 2018, raises questions about just how effective he might be as a pitcher moving forward.

That will all figure into the calculus for Ohtani’s potential suitors, along with the other possibilities. Here’s a closer look at a couple more of baseball’s best potential free agents:

1B/OF CODY BELLINGER

Bellinger also was a free agent in 2022. This time figures to be a little different.

After battling injuries during his final years with the…