“Ohtani is not impossible to surpass Trout… The most unique free agent player in history”
In the 2023 major league transfer market, there is a possibility that a black hole called Ohtani Shohei (29‧ LA Angels) will suck everything in. Whether he will be traded, what team he will go to if he is traded, whether he will sign a long-term contract with that team, and how much he will receive if he becomes a free agent are all topics of discussion.
Ohtani’s skills and product value have already been proven. He completely changed the perspective of modern baseball. He proved in the major league, the world’s best baseball stage, that two-and-a-half combined work, which is only seen in comic books, is possible. The 2021 American League Most Valuable Player (MVP), 2nd place in the 2022 MVP vote, and the numbers left on the mound and at bat prove this. And it leaves the possibility of making a historic contract in the free agent market.
The record for total money in major league history is $426.5 million over the 12 years prior to the 2019 season by former best baseball player Mike Trout. It was also the only monumental contract in major league history that left $400 million. However, there are observations that Ohtani may exceed this. After Trout signed the contract, the contract size of major league players is jumping steeply. Right now, more than $300 million in contracts have been pouring out this year alone.
If so, how much will Ohtani get? Don O’Dowd, who served as Colorado general manager for 15 years from 1999 to 2014, said in an interview with the sports media ‘Sporting News’ on the 5th (Korean time), “To be honest, Ohtani is the most unique free agent player in baseball history.” It is in uncharted territory.” It is difficult to easily predict the size of the contract even for a veteran official who served as the general manager for 15 years.
There is a reason. This is because Ohtani is both a pitcher and a hitter. “You get to pay for two spots in one signing,” O’Dowd said. “Even if he’s sluggish as a pitcher, he’ll be able to be an elite defensive player both at bat and run and at the corner outfield position. He’s a really unique player.” None of the players discussed so far have a similar context to his contract.”
‘Sporting News’ pointed out that Carlos Rodon’s pitching performance for the last two years and Ohtani’s pitching performance for the last two years, who signed with the New York Yankees ahead of this season, are almost the same. Rodon is only marginally better, but Ohtani is a year and a half younger than Rodon. Rodon got six years and $162 million, but Ohtani deserves that price as a pitcher and as a hitter, he has to put a price on it. So, while it is difficult to predict the size of Ohtani’s contract, he also insisted that a contract that will go down in history is likely to explode. 메이저놀이터
‘Sporting News’ said, “If Ohtani is healthy (this year) and performs close to what he has done in the past few seasons, he will fly past Aaron Judge (9 years, $360 million).” $10,000) isn’t impossible. Ohtani isn’t just a unicorn on the field, he’s baseball’s most marketable superstar. There’s no limit to the value of revenue Ohtani can bring to the franchise over 10 to 12 years. see,” he said.
Then, where will Ohtani go? “The criteria are probably specific — market size, team’s ability to win, and ability to consistently win,” O’Dowd said. “Clearly, only a few organizations have the financial ability to operate at that level.” While the New York Yankees have spent a lot of money this year, the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and San Francisco are being discussed as strong candidates for Ohtani’s next destination.
