Shohei Ohtani was nearly a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. No, seriously - that almost happened. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal is reporting that in 2023, at the MLB trade deadline, the Angels and the Rays were close on a deal involving Ohtani,

The Tampa City Council approved a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the MLB club on Thursday for a $2.3 billion ballpark located on Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry Campus. That ratification—following a council meeting lasting more than six hours in a packed City Hall—follows a similar move by the Hillsborough County Commission on Wednesday,