It appears big-spending New York Mets owner Steve Cohen won’t miss out on signing Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani in free agency without a fight.

“I think the Mets are going to be right in the middle of things,” ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan said about Ohtani’s future on Tuesday, as shared by Sam Neumann of The Comeback. “They have the most money, they have the owner who is most willing to spend. Accordingly, they should be there. The question is, does Ohtani want to deal with all that being in New York entails? It is a completely different life than he would have with the Angels. He 

While it’s long been thought the Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorites to land Ohtani because they possess a winning culture and reside on the west coast, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic noted back in August that Cohen would not “pass on an opportunity to pursue the greatest player of our generation and maybe greatest of all time,” in part because “Ohtani’s value exceeds what he does on the field.”

Jim Bowden of The Athletic then wrote last month that geography would not be “the primary consideration” regarding Ohtani’s free-agency decision.

More recently, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reported in early October that “some industry chatter in recent weeks suggested (Ohtani would) be more open to an east coast club” than he was when he signed with the Angels ahead of the 2018 season.

The Mets reportedly are “aiming to compete in 2024” despite their fire sale this past summer, and SNY’s Danny Abriano mentioned as recently as Tuesday that New York needs a proven slugger such as Ohtani to serve as a designated hitter next season.

Thus, it’s assumed the fact that Ohtani likely won’t pitch before 2025 after he underwent surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow means little to Cohen this fall.

“The idea that the Mets aren’t going to be front and center is silly,” Passan added on Tuesday. “It’s arguably the most talented baseball player of all time, and Steve Cohen is in the business of gathering talented baseball players.”