Shohei Ohtani’s Free Agency May Be Over Sooner Than Expected
Anaheim, CA (PSF) — Two-way phenom and Mega-Star Shohei Ohtani’s free agency may be over before the MLB’s Winter Meetings, according to ESPN.
It was more widely publicized through a tweet posted by NBC Bay Area.
Ohtani, 29, might be the most coveted free agent in baseball history. He has earned a plethora of awards and accolades already, and is just 6 years into his MLB Career.
These accolades include:
2018 American League Rookie of the Year
3X All Star (2021-2023)
2021 American League MVP
2X Silver Slugger (2021 & 2023)
Overall, he owns a career .274/.366/.566/.922 slash line with 171 home runs, 437 RBIs, and 86 stolen bases for his career. Ohtani, wildly enough, is still improving, as he slashed his strikeout rate to a still-high, but career-best 23.9% in 2023, and walked at a career-high 15.2% clip.
He owns a 93 MPH average exit velocity in his career, which is 5 MPH better than the league average. His career 148 OPS + means that he has been 48% better than the league-average hitter. In his 2023 season, which will likely be his second American League MVP season, he had a staggering 184 OPS+, meaning he was 84% better than the league-average 100, and had a ridiculous 180 WRC+, 10 more than second-place (Acuna, 170).
But regardless of all the advanced metrics, counting stats, the simple and most important fact is that he hits balls quite far. And he does it very, VERY well. He hit the longest home run in the MLB for the 2023 season, a staggering 493 feet. Teams won’t just be getting that elite production, they’ll be getting some awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping power, and many home run highlights.
Did I mention he’s also an elite pitcher?
Ohtani has faced a little more adversity on the mound than at the plate. He has had two major arm injuries already and had elbow surgery this year. He will not pitch until 2025.
When he is on the mound, he is elite. His best year on the mound came in 2022, where he went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings, en route to a second-place finish in the American League CY Young race.
For his career, he owns a career 3.01 ERA, with 608 strikeouts in 481.2 innings. Command has been an issue every so often, but his ability to strike out hitters at an elite level and limit hard contact easily compensates for the walks.
Photo Credit: Harry How, Getty Images
Durability will always be the biggest concern on the mound. Executives alike believe that Ohtani’s career on the mound will be outlived by his career on the plate. For teams lining up to sign him, that’s just fine. The luxury of getting value two ways from him and his proven ability to provide the two-way value in the past are all that matters for both him and the team.
Ohtani’s elite production in multiple facets: with the bat, on the mound, and on the basepaths, has at least half of the league lining up to recruit his services. The Dodgers have always been the rumored favorite, with other teams such as the Red Sox, Giants, Rangers, Mets, Mariners, and Cubs rumored to be in the mix as well.
Now, with this rumor out about Ohtani’s potentially early signing, all eyes will be on him as the league and world await his decision. Winter Meetings are scheduled from December 4-6, which is a date approaching rapidly. We may know Ohtani’s next destination within the next 3 weeks.
Wherever he decides to go, it will inevitably shift the outlook of the league, and the baseball world will never be the same again.
That is how good Shohei Ohtani is.
