Can Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels become the second main character in history?
Ohtani will be eligible for free agency for the first time in his career once he finishes his season.
According to New York Post columnist John Heyman, Angels owner Art Moreno is planning to tie Ohtani to a long-term contract, but that’s not realistically possible. He is highly likely to move to another team at the end of July, which is the trade deadline this year, and the most likely scenario is that he will go to the free agent market at the end of this year.
I don’t know if the Angels have a chance to advance to the playoffs this season, but the move at the beginning of the season is too unstable to hold on to Ohtani’s heart. As of the 23rd, the Angels are in third place in the American League West with 11 wins and 11 losses. Ohtani has said “I want to win” several times in the past two years, either directly or indirectly.
Ohtani’s free agent value has already been covered through influential local media. For the first time in major league history, there is a dominant view that $500 million is a matter of course, and there are many experts who are talking about $600 million.
Former Miami Marlins President David Sampson said in an interview with Forbes in February, “Ohtani is the first starter and the center hitter. He is doing two things on the team. He is playing the role of two players with an annual salary of $ 25 million, so an annual salary of $ 50 million is reasonable.” He explained that if the contract period is 10 years, a total of $ 500 million is acceptable.
Regarding Ohtani’s value last month, The Athletic said, “It is appropriate to combine the ransom of Carlos Rodon as a pitcher and Bryce Harper as a hitter.” Rodon signed a free agent contract with the New York Yankees in December last year for 6 years and $162 million, and Harper signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Phillies in February 2019 for 13 years and $330 million. On average, Rodon earns $27 million annually and Harper earns $25.4 million. Their combined annual salary is $52.4 million. After all, a 10-year contract will easily exceed $500 million.
Since Ohtani has proven his top-notch skills in the major leagues through two hits, the logic and arguments of former President Sampson and The Athletic are reasonable and persuasive.
But what if Ohtani wins the second MVP of his career this year?
Since 1976, when the free agent system was introduced in the major leagues, only one player has hit the jackpot after winning the MVP twice in six full-time seasons. In 1992, Barry Bonds is the protagonist. Bonds, who made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates, won the National League MVP twice in 1990 and 1992, then went to the market as a free agent for the first time in his life at the end of 1992 and signed a six-year contract with the San Francisco Giants for $43.75 million. It was the largest contract in history that no one could have crossed at the time.토토사이트
Ohtani has already performed a perfect pitching job in 2021 and won the American League MVP by unanimous decision. In fact, even last year, it was no wonder that he was selected as the MVP for showing off his strength to achieve both at bats and innings at the same time for the first time in major league history, but it was difficult to surpass Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, who set the record for the most in the American League with 62 home runs.
However, the possibility of recapturing the MVP this year is highly visible. As of this day, batting average 0.266 (21 hits in 79 at-bats), 5 homers, 13 RBIs, OPS 0.825, 28 innings in 5 games as a pitcher, 3 wins, an average ERA of 0.64, and 38 strikeouts. In particular, his earned run average ranks first in both leagues.
If Ohtani wins the Cy Young Award in addition to the second MVP, the value of free agency is beyond imagination.