The possibility of the Red Sox landing two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani always felt like a reach, but now the prospect is looking even more unlikely.

According to a report by ESPN insider Jeff Passan, the Red Sox have backed off their pursuit of Ohtani and shifted their focus to other players.

“The Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, who were among the initial group of suitors, have turned their attention to other players, sources said,” Passan wrote. “Among those confirmed by sources to be still in the bidding: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and Angels.”

Passan later wrote that the Red Sox are still in the mix for right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the 25-year-old Japanese ace who is expected to land a deal worth well over $200 million.

Ohtani, who won his second American League MVP award this season, is expected to land the largest free agent contract in North American sports history. Even after undergoing elbow surgery that will keep him off the mound in 2024, Ohtani is still expected to command a deal worth $500-600 million, blowing away the current record set by Mike Trout ($426.5 million).

This past season the 29-year-old turned in one of the greatest seasons MLB has ever seen, batting .304 with 44 home runs, 95 RBI, 20 stolen bases and an MLB-best 1.066 OPS while also going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts over 132 innings.

A player like Ohtani would obviously make a huge impact on any team, but given Boston’s current situation it wouldn’t be a complete surprise the Red Sox shifted their focus elsewhere.

Right now the Red Sox need pitching, and Ohtani won’t be able to take the mound again until 2025 at the earliest. He also bats left-handed, which won’t help Boston in its goal to add right-handed hitters, and his being a full-time DH would limit Boston’s lineup flexibility and make it harder to improve defensively.

Ohtani would be an immediate difference-maker in the heart of the lineup and would supercharge interest surrounding the team, but still, if the Red Sox can land two front-of-the-rotation starters for the price it could take to sign him, it’d be hard to blame the club if they decided that was a better use of their money.