But then, that too could be homerism ;-)
San Diego is definitely the dark horse of these proceedings. The Angels don't really make sense--if you're going to LA, go to the GOOD LA team. Texas...bleh, Darvish's bad aftertaste probably doesn't bode well for them. And Chicago? Aside from personal connections to guys like Epstein, I don't see it as a fit.
Obviously he could go anywhere he wants. He's got a unique opportunity to write his own ticket here, and I hope for his sake that he does precisely that without letting anyone influence him ::glares at his representation::
And yeah, I don't see where the M's could have done *much* more than this. You could quibble over this or that, but the all-in push for int'l slot money has been nearly jaw-dropping in its intensity. And DiPoto's quotes on Ohtani's unique/historic talent are the ones I see captioned and memed everywhere. The PR campaign has been effective in public, if not in private, though there are obviously reasons why the M's have had so much institutional success recruiting top Japanese players in the past. Mr. Yamauchi was certainly part of that, but he couldn't have been all of it--or, at the very least, he couldn't have taken it all with him when he sold the team.