MLB analyst puts Los Angeles Dodgers as Shohei Ohtani's probably new home: "Second half-a-billion-dollar player in MLB history"
After his otherworldly performance in the recent World Baseball Classic, Shohei Ohtani is being touted as one of the top athletes not just in baseball, but in the world.
The Los Angeles Angels star is 28, and has already won an AL Rookie of the Year and an MVP Award. The two-way phenom also recently became the first player in history to register 100 or more strikeouts while simeltanously knocking in over 100 RBIs.
Despite the evident world-class skill that Shohei Ohtani possesses, the Angels have had a difficult time with him. Unable to reach an agreement on a long-term deal for yet another year, Los Angeles has inked Ohtani to a one-year deal worth $30 million.
This means that after the 2023 season finishes up, he will hit the free agency market. Experts say that he could draw offers of up to half a million dollars, meaning only the most cash-strapped MLB teams will be able to afford him.
In a recent piece for The Athletic, writer Jim Bowden shared that the Los Angeles Dodgers are the odds-on favorite to lock down the Japanese superstar. Most mainstream betting platforms have the Dodgers at +450 odds.
"Shohei Ohtani enters free agency and becomes the second half-a-billion-dollar player in MLB history as he secures an 11-year contract with the Dodgers," Bowden wrote.
After the Dodgers, the two teams most likely to ink a long-term deal with Shohei Ohtani are the New York Mets and the New York Yankees. Both Big Apple-based teams have odds of +300 and +350 respectively.
In 2022, Ohtani became the first ever player to finish in the top five in both Cy Young Award and MVP voting, although he was ultimately unsuccessful in winning both.
Over 100 million people tuned in to watch Ohtani as he led Japan to glory in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The victory was sealed after he struck out his Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to secure the 3-2 win for his nation over the USA in the final.
Shohei Ohtani still has to get through 2023 before the offers start to come in
It's no secret that the Los Angeles Angels have their backs against the wall this season. Having not made the playoffs since 2014, fans are quickly running out of patience.
If Ohtani can single-handedly turn the team's fortunes around, perhaps he will have more reasons to stick around Anaheim.
