2023 World Baseball Classic MVP and Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani will be a free agent next winter, and coming off an incredibly successful start to his MLB career and a WBC performance for the ages, he’s likely going to cost some team a lot of money. It will likely be worth it.
But who’s going to fork over the estimated $600 million to secure the two-way phenom?
Ohtani Delivered For Japan In The WBC
He hit .435 with one homer, four doubles, eight RBI, and 10 walks during the WBC. He also went 2-0 with a save and a 1.86 ERA on the mound while striking out 11 hitters in 9 2/3 innings — including MLB teammate Mike Trout to clinch the title for Japan.
ESPN’s Buster Olney thinks $600 million is more than reasonable for the 2021 AL MVP. He is a two-time All-Star and made All-MLB four times in two seasons. Both as a starting pitcher and DH. He’s unreal.
Which Teams Could Afford To Pay Ohtani $600 Million?
Very few teams have the stomach and wallet to afford $600 million. The Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers come to mind.
Over the past two seasons he’s hit 80 home runs and driven in 195 runs. During that same period he’s pitched 296 innings and struck out 375 batters.
Pitcher or hitter you’ve got an All-MLB caliber player. But with Ohtani you get both!
NBC Sports Boston Red Sox reporter John Tomase likes the idea of Ohtani in Boston.
“I’ve done sort of a 180 on this one because for years, I was of the mind, let other teams spend 3, 4, 500 million dollars on players because it’s bad business,” Tomase said. “But the game has changed and right now, very few impact players even reach free agency. Rafael Devers is the latest example. These guys are getting locked up.
“When you have a generational talent like Ohtani and you are a Red Sox team that is desperate for interest — because even if this team exceeds expectations and pulls a 2021, we all know we’re just doing the same thing next offseason of shuttling out one one-year contract for another one-year contract. Shohei Ohtani is someone you can hitch your wagon to as a fan, as an organization.”
Can You Win With All That Money Tied Up In One Player?
It’s a compelling argument. Ohtani is a generational player. But baseball isn’t like the NBA. There are nine players on the field and random things happen much more frequently.
Over the past couple years you could make the argument that the Angels had two of the five best players in baseball with Ohtani and Trout. But the team couldn’t even play .500 baseball.
What good is two awesome players if the rest of your roster is no good?
That’s why a market where the owner clearly doesn’t mind spending a lot of money to win makes the most sense.
Provided Ohtani stays healthy this season and has another MVP-caliber performance, it’ll be hard to imagine a big-market team not offering the bag to the Japanese superstar.
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