An elite pitcher and elite batter, Ohtani ranks among the top of the league in both positions. The league has never seen anyone achieve the level of success that Ohtani has as both a pitcher and batter.
While baseball icon Babe Ruth was one of the best players of all time and played both positions, Ohtani plays in an era of elite talent across the league and generational contracts.
Teams are lining up for the superstar’s free agency, which will take place following the 2023 season. However, speculation could be rendered useless if the Los Angeles Angels are able to extend him.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres have already announced that they are “all in” on signing Ohtani if he hits the open market.
While every team would love to sign the two-way sensation, the big question is how much Shohei Ohtani can make on the open market.
Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com has toyed with the notion that Ohtani may very well become the MLB’s first half-billion-dollar player.
While $500 million is obviously a ridiculously lucrative deal, consider the contracts signed by Mike Trout and Jacob deGrom.
In 2019, Mike Trout signed a 12-year, $426,500,000 million extension with the Los Angeles Angels. This offseason, Jacob deGrom signed a 5-year, $185,000,000 deal with the Texas Rangers.
How much do you pay someone who can produce at the same, or similar, levels as deGrom and Trout, but does both? $500 million might not be as improbable as it sounds.
Shohei Ohtani’s 2022 stats with the Angels
Last season with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani dominated on both sides of the ball. As a pitcher, he produced a 2.33 ERA through 166.0 innings, posting a 15-9 record with 219 strikeouts. His 219 whiffs ranked him sixth in the entire MLB last season, ahead of both Cy Young winners Sandy Alcantara and Justin Verlander.
As a batter, Ohtani hit 34 home runs and 95 RBIs, while recording 11 stolen bases. Throughout his 157 games, the two-way unicorn maintained a .273 batting average.
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