San Francisco Giants Lost Out on Shohei Ohtani in Part Due to Rampant Crime, Homelessness

San Francisco’s struggles with rising crime, rampant drug use, and sprawling homeless camps have kept tourists away and led to businesses and residents fleeing the city.

Now, the downtown disorder is being blamed for deterring a big name from relocating to the Golden Gate City: Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani, a rare two-way talent who is both an elite hitter and pitcher, made news over the weekend when he announced he was signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He signed a record-breaking ten-year, $700 million contract with the team this week.

But news reports have indicated that the San Francisco Giants — the Dodgers’ biggest rival — were also all-in on trying to land Ohtani, and, in fact, offered him the exact same deal.

In an interview with the Athletic on Tuesday, one-time Giants All-Star catcher Buster Posey, who is now a member of the team’s executive board, suggested that San Francisco’s struggles with downtown degradation and lawlessness have played a role in preventing star players, including Ohtani, from signing with the team.

Posey said that Giants leaders tried to sell Ohtani on being part of the team’s storied history, and what joining the Giants could mean for the city. “I just feel that him coming to the Giants could have been transformative, obviously for the baseball team but it also would’ve given the city a boost that we’ve all been looking for,” Posey said.

While Ohtani never personally expressed concerns about the state of the city, there were some reservations in his camp, according to the Athletic. The Bay Area, according to the outlets, is perceived by many as damaged goods.

“Something I think is noteworthy, something that unfortunately keeps popping up from players and even the players’ wives is there’s a bit of an uneasiness with the city itself, as far as the state of the city, with crime, with drugs,” Posey told the Athletic. “Whether that’s all completely fair or not, perception is reality. It’s a frustrating cycle, I think, and not just with baseball. Baseball is secondary to life and the important things in life. But as far as a free-agent pursuit goes, I have seen that it does affect things.”

The Giants have missed out on several top free agents in recent years, including Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper. They haven’t signed an impact free-agent position player since Barry Bonds in 1993, the East Bay Times reported. Posey said the team was “in a bit of a free-agent slump.”

This isn’t the first time Giants officials have expressed concerns about the city’s reputation affecting their ability to sign top players. Last year, Farhan Zaidi, president of Giants baseball operations, said that San Francisco had become a “polarizing place” for some players.

In addition to alleged concerns about the disorder in San Francisco, the Giants also had a sense that Ohtani was hoping to stay in Southern California. He played with the Anaheim Angels for six years after coming over from Japan after the 2017 season.

“It did seem like geography mattered,” Zaidi told the Athletic. “It wasn’t an absolute must or a deal breaker, obviously, given the pool of teams that were interested, but we did sense there was a preference to stay in Southern California and we knew that would be a challenge for us.”

Daniel Lurie, the Levi Strauss clothing heir who is running for mayor against incumbent London Breed, addressed Posey’s comments in a video on X, formerly Twitter.

“This story is a sad one because players like Buster Posey bring so much joy to all of us here in San Francisco,” he said. “But the bigger problem is our failed leadership is causing the people that live and work in San Francisco to question whether or not they want to be here.”