The winter of free agent Shohei Ohtani is here, and it very well could see him leaving the Angels this offseason. Ohtani has been the star of the Halos for some time now, but the lack of success on the field could drive him away from the team.
He is expected to pursue a franchise that he deems gives him a chance to win every year, something that the Angels haven’t been able to show him. And he is expected to receive the largest contract in baseball history, with some believing it to go upwards of $500 million.
But he did suffer a torn UCL this past season and will be limited to just hitting in 2024. He plans to return to the mound in 2025, but there are some who believe it will impact the contract he receives this offseason.
However, MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post isn’t one of those people, and he believes that Ohtani could get $600 million on the open market. He put together contract projections for the top free agents, and Ohtani ended up with an extraordinary amount.
“Expert 1: $535M, 11 years. Expert 2: $400M, 10 years (opt-out after 2024). Me: $600M, 10 years.”
Per Jon Heyman of The New York Post
If Ohtani does get offered a deal for that amount, the Angels will likely walk away. They have their price, and this likely far exceeds it.
Most teams in baseball will do the same, even for the services of Ohtani. But the two-way superstar has made it clear that money won’t dictate things this winter, winning will. He is the type of player to turn down a larger deal to join a team that he believes is a contender.
But the money will be tempting for any player, and there are only a handful of teams who could even offer this amount. The question is how much his torn UCL will impact a potential contract, and that remains to be seen.
“The elbow injury that will limit him to hitting in ’24 won’t prevent a record deal — although, true or not, some speculate he knows where he wants to go before even hearing every offer.”
Per Jon Heyman of The New York Post
Ohtani will be getting paid massively either way, but the signs are pointing to him leaving the Angels. He will be missed, but the team also needs to look out for their future, and giving that much money to one player could hamper them for years to come.
