For now, Shohei Ohtani is a Los Angeles Angel, but that may change after this season.
The elite starting pitcher-who’s also an elite hitter-will be coming to the free agent market after this season, and with his unique ability he could very well break the bank.
ESPN’s Buster Olney says Ohtani will break the record for the biggest deal held by current teammate Mike Trout, who signed a 12-year, $426 million deal in 2019.
“The contract he’s going to get will start with number six — $600 million,” Olney predicted on ESPN’s Get Up on opening day.
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Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting Houston Astros’ JJ Matijevic to end the top of the sixth inning of a game July 13, 2022 in Anaheim, California. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Olney also believes Ohtani will remain in Los Angeles but move to the National League.
“It’s amazing when you talk to people around baseball how many believe Ohtani will end up with the Dodgers next year,” Olney said. “During the offseason, LA really cut back on spending. They were clearly preparing for a big move in the upcoming off-season. That’s going to be Ohtani… because he’s bringing something to the table that we’ve never seen before. This great two-way player and the most marketable player in the world.”
Ohtani is making $30 million this season, the highest-ever salary for an arbitration-eligible player Mookie Betts$27 million for the 2020 season.
His pay rise of $24.5 million for this season is also the highest ever. Ohtani earned $5.5 million last season.
The Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates a double home run with Mike Trout (27) in the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 5, 2022 in Anaheim, California. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Ohtani has more than lived up to expectations since joining the major leagues in 2018.
Syncs the “Japanese babe RuthWhen he arrived, he was named American League Rookie of the Year with .285 averages and .925 OPS while serving to a 3.31 ERA and hitting 11.0 batters per nine innings. He was the first player in MLB history to hit at least 20 homers and strike out at least 60 batters in the same season.
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Ohtani underwent surgery from Tommy John ahead of the 2019 season, which kept him from fielding that year. He suffered another injury in 2020 that limited him to pitching in just 1.2 innings.
But he was the unanimous AL MVP in 2021 with 46 home runs — the third most in baseball — and 100 RBIs with a .965 OPS. He also posted a 3.18 ERA, which was the eighth best mark in the AL among pitchers with at least 130 innings pitched.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates scoring the third out in the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 9, 2022 in Anaheim, California. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Last year, his 2.33 ERA was the sixth-best in baseball while his .875 OPS was the 10th-highest in the majors, proving that the previous year was no fluke. If there wasn’t Aaron RichterOhtani’s run for a Triple Crown while tying Roger Maris for the most home runs in a single season by an American League player would have won the MVP again.
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