2 reasons the San Diego Padres should still pursue Shohei Ohtani, 1 reason they shouldn't

The San Diego Padres should not pursue Shohei Ohtani because they need the full scope of his abilities, including pitching

Let's address the obvious concern with Shohei Ohtani: he won't be able to pitch for an extended period of time.

Currently, that timetable is unknown as Ohtani mulls his options with respect to elbow surgery. But regardless of his decision, the Padres need pitching help next season, and committing significant financial resources to an Ohtani pursuit could preclude them from making other necessary upgrades.

For example, San Diego has decisions to make on pending free agent pitchers Blake Snell and Josh Hader. If the Friars were to move forward with Ohtani instead, that would surely hinder their ability to bring back Snell and Hader, who have been key contributors on this year's team.

A large part of the appeal of bringing in a generational talent like Ohtani is to fill two needs with one signing. At least for now, though, the Japanese superstar will only be able to hit, which would leave the Padres with a vast upgrade at DH, but also with less of a pitching staff to support a potent lineup. And that is not a winning formula, as we're witnessing in 2023.