How much does Shohei Ohtani (29) of the Los Angeles Angels want as a free agency ransom?
On the 25th (Korean time), when Ohtani’s elbow ligament injury was known, ESPN said, ‘Just before Ohtani was injured, a veteran agent said that Ohtani would aim for $600 million. (Omitted) However, with this injury, Ohtani is likely to give up $600 million, and even $500 million has become difficult,’ he predicted.
Is it really so?
The only time Ohtani talked about his contract was in an official interview at a spring training camp in Arizona last February.
At the time, Ohtani’s agent, Nez Valero of CAA Sports, was asked about an extension contract with the Angels. It can. We plan to see what happens.”
It was interpreted as suggesting a plan to enter the free agent market rather than staying with the Angels.
Around the same time, Ohtani said, “I don’t know what Valero and the club are talking about. I haven’t heard anything about a contract extension. I’m just focusing on the season.” It is rare for a player to directly mention his future.
Five months later, ahead of the trade deadline at the end of July, the Angels officially announced that Ohtani would go with him until the end of the season. It was a time when the chances of making the playoffs were alive to some extent. However, there was no news of an extension contract with Ohtani. Rumor has it that he made an behind-the-scenes contact, but it is speculated that he did not actively engage with Ohtani.
The size of Ohtani’s free agent contract is expected to be decided after an accurate diagnosis of an elbow ligament injury comes out after this season. AP Yonhap News
Now Ohtani’s fate will be decided after this season. The Angels announced on the 30th that they would be waiving six players, including Lucas Giolito, Reinaldo Lopez, Randall Grichick, Hunter Lepro, and Matt Moore, whom they acquired through trade at the end of July, ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies match. The postseason was officially abandoned.
The Angels recorded 7 wins and 19 losses in August, tying with the Colorado Rockies for the lowest among 30 teams. Looking at the list of waivers, Ohtani may have redrawn the free agency market anew.
Contrary to the club’s move, Ohtani is active as a hitter despite ending the season as a pitcher due to an elbow injury. In the game against Philadelphia that day, he had 3 hits and 2 RBIs.
Home runs (44), slugging percentage (0.664), OPS (1.074), and base hits (322) ranked first in both leagues, runs scored (100) ranked first in the AL, and batting average (0.307) and RBI (94) ranked third. In terms of batting average, he is two pennies behind Yandy Diaz (0.327) of the Tampa Bay Rays, who ranks first in the AL. He trailed Kyle Tucker (97) of the Houston Astros for first place in RBIs by three. In other words, the batting average division is too heavy to aim for the triple crown.
Then why is Ohtani playing so hard when the team gave up fall baseball and his second MVP was virtually confirmed? He was diagnosed with a ligament rupture in the MRI examination after being replaced due to elbow pain in the first game of the doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds on the 24th. Nonetheless, he has appeared in every game the team has played since.
After Ohtani hit a double in the bottom of the 5th inning of the 2nd game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds on the 24th (Korean time), he talks with Cincinnati players during pitcher replacement time. AP Yonhap News
There must be a reason for going ahead with the competition even after hearing a serious diagnosis that put the player’s life at risk. Of course, swinging a bat and running the base is no problem, so playing as a designated hitter is natural and natural. However, Ohtani, who is a ‘free body’ after this season, has to ‘take care of herself’. Elbow injuries can be aggravated by excessive participation and hustle play.
Regarding this, there is an opinion that Ohtani is overdoing it to raise the ransom even a little, but it is not persuasive.먹튀검증
The Athletic reporter Ken Rosenthal recently wrote, “Ohtani still deserves $500 million, if not more. He injured his elbow ligaments, but is the best hitter in the major leagues. ‘Ohtani, 29 this year, is two years younger than Aaron Judge when he went on the market a year ago. He can’t throw the jersey he signed with the Yankees for $360 million. But Ohtani said he can pitch after he gets Tommy John surgery. It is explained that Ohtani, who doubles as a pitcher, easily surpasses the ransom value of Judge, who set the record for the most AL home runs.
Ohtani joined the Angels in a December 2017 posting. He was under the age of 25 at the time, and he was forced to sign a minor league contract under international amateur signing rules.
Regarding his financial loss and knocking on the major league door early, Ohtani said last year, “I timed my entry into the major leagues not to maximize my income, but to maximize my chances of getting into the Hall of Fame.” In other words, it was important for him to start his major league career as soon as possible.
Ohtani earned about $42 million from the field, including a contract fee of $2.315 million, a total annual salary of $9.695 million until last year, and an annual salary of $30 million this season. So far, advertising revenues have reached about $40 million.
However, the size of the free agent contract to be signed in about three months is different from the amount he has touched so far. Expectations are still around $500 million. Hitting another home run and raising the batting average by one more will not change his value. However, with the remaining month of this season, additional injuries could be fatal.