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Ike’s Sandwiches Owner Makes San Francisco Giants Free Agency Pitch For Shohei Ohtani

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

Which team is the favorite to sign Shohei Ohtani has seemingly been a revolving door and changed on a near-daily basis since the start of the 2023 MLB Winter Meetings in Nashville.

Leading up to the start of the annual event for executives and agents, the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays were reported as finalists for Ohtani. The San Francisco Giants were thought to be on the periphery, and the Atlanta Braves were said to still be in the hunt, but that may have been overstated.

While teams are angling to make their pitches to Ohtani, longtime Giants fan and owner of Ike’s Love & Sandwiches, Ike Shehadeh, is looking to provide a lending hand.

Shehadeh proposed the creation of a Shohei Ohtani sandwich, free food at his chain for life and renaming the shop to Shohei’s Love & Sandwiches.

While Shehadeh looked to improve the Giants’ odds of signing Ohtani, it has been reported the team hosted him at Oracle Park during the weekend.

The Giants reportedly are determined to signed Ohtani or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and may ensure they are not outbid for the two-way superstar. Given the interest and frenzy surrounding Ohtani’s free agency, there’s some belief his contract value could end up approaching $600 million.

Ike’s Love & Sandwiches history

Ike’s Sandwiches was first opened in San Francisco in 2007. The location was originally named Ike’s Place, and the popular chain has since transformed the sandwich industry. Every Ike’s location has exclusive sandwich offerings that are named as a tribute to local celebrities and icons.

The Ike’s menu features sandwiches named after Hunter Pence, Arash Markazi, Paul Reuben, Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Robin Williams and Barry Bonds, among other athletes and celebrities.

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Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com