As the price tag for Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Shohei Ohtani, 29, continues to soar, teams are beginning to take shape in their pursuit of the free agent.
Ohtani started in the No. 2 spot in the lineup against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, on April 1 (ET) and went 1-for-2 with a double, home run, one RBI, two runs scored and two walks.
Leading off the sixth inning, Ohtani took a two-pitch 83.9 mph (135.0 km/h) slider from Arizona starter Tommy Henry for a massive home run that hit 115.1 mph (185.2 km/h) and traveled 493 feet (150 meters). It put him over the 30-homer plateau before the first half was over.
Ohtani, who is eligible for free agency after this season, has been on a tear, boosting his stock. As a hitter, he’s batting .301 (98-for-316) with 30 home runs, 67 RBIs, and a 1.070 OPS in 82 games.
As a pitcher, he is 7-3 with a 3.02 ERA in 16 games (95⅓ innings). Most local U.S. media outlets are predicting that Ohtani will become the first major league player to sign a contract worth more than $500 million (KRW 65.95 billion).
The New York Post reported on March 30 that “Ohtani has not yet made his thoughts known. But several officials believe the Dodgers, San Francisco and Angels are most likely to compete for baseball’s best player,” the New York Post reported last month, predicting where Ohtani will be next season.
The outlet analyzed that Ohtani will consider a variety of factors, not just the size of the contract. Since Ohtani is virtually guaranteed to sign the largest contract in the majors, it is argued that he will favor a team that can contend for a postseason berth and a World Series title, or a team on the West Coast.
The Dodgers showed that they were saving money by letting Trey Turner walk last winter. This led to speculation that the Dodgers had the financial flexibility to sign Ohtani. “The Dodgers are clearly the team with the most money and the most consistency,” the New York Post wrote.
Dodgers rival San Francisco, another prestigious team, is also considered a frontrunner to land Ohtani. “The Giants have $360 million left over from last winter’s deals for Aaron Judge (Yankees) and Carlos Correa (Minnesota),” said the New York Post. It is also in very good shape financially and will be even better off financially with Oakland (in the same metropolitan area) almost certain to leave for Las Vegas,” explaining that San Francisco can afford to make a move for Ohtani.
The Angels are also making a concerted effort to re-sign Ohtani. According to the New York Post, “The Angels want to sign Ohtani to an extension. But in order to do so, the Angels will have to show that they can make the postseason,” the New York Post reported, emphasizing that the Angels’ performance this season will be crucial in order to retain Ohtani.
The Angels finished with a 44-40 record and a .524 winning percentage, good for third place in the American League West and the fifth wild-card spot.
The Mets and Yankees, two of Major League Baseball’s richest franchises, are considered to be less competitive than the first three teams in the race for Ohtani.아톰카지노
According to the New York Post, “The Mets are unlikely to offer a generous contract to Ohtani, given what owner Steve Cohen has said is a record payroll (about $344.15 million) and huge losses (about $200 million projected). As for the Yankees, I got the impression that they didn’t want Ohtani to come to New York when he broke into the majors six years ago.”
Coming off another historic season, fans will be eager to see what Ohtani decides to do this winter.