Will Shohei Ohtani, the star who doubles as a pitcher, be worth more than 800 billion won?
Japanese sports media ‘Higashis for Web’ said on the 28th, “Ohtani’s value seems to be rising again. “Ohtani is worth 90 billion yen (about 816.6 billion won).” Ohtani was unable to complete the season this year due to injury, but his value soared while playing for the Los Angeles Angels.
There are also predictions that he could receive up to $600 million (approximately 813.9 billion won) locally. On the 27th (Korean time), American media New York Post reporter John Heyman said, “Some people laughed at the idea that Ohtani would receive $500 million. However, I am hearing again about the $600 million (approximately 813.9 billion won) that was expected before Ohtani was told that he would not be able to pitch as a pitcher next year due to an elbow injury.”
Ohtani is a strong MVP candidate this year. His elbow injury prevented him from completing the season and his ratings suffered a bit. It is expected that he will play only as a batsman next year and that he will be able to double as a two-batter again the year after.
However, Reporter Heyman said, “But I think $500 million will be a starting point.”
As a career pitcher in the Major League, Ohtani recorded 86 games (481⅔ innings), 38 wins, 19 losses, and an ERA of 3.01, and as a hitter, in 701 games, he recorded a batting average of .274 (681 hits in 2,483 at-bats), 171 home runs, 437 RBIs, and an OPS of .922. .
Ohtani, the major league’s only ‘two-batting’ star, won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2018, and won MVP and Silver Slugger awards in 2021. With his two-hit job, he also ranked second in MVP and fourth in Cy Young Award in 2022. He also attracted a lot of attention and popularity, including being selected as an All-Star for three consecutive years (2021-2023).
This year, he appeared in 23 games (132 innings) as a pitcher, recording 10 wins, 5 losses, and an average ERA of 3.14. As a batter, he played 135 games with a batting average of .304 (151 hits in 497 at-bats), 44 home runs, and 95 RBIs, with an OPS of 1.066. He is the American League home run king this year.굿모닝토토
Many clubs are interested in him. However, since his price is considerable, it is likely that there will be a competition to recruit him between clubs that can afford it. Among them, the LA Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Texas Rangers are considered strong candidates.
Reporter Heyman selected the Dodgers, San Francisco, and Texas Rangers as likely destinations for Ohtani. He said, “In the case of Texas, they have tasted victory and are not afraid of paying large sums.” He added, “San Francisco is missing stars such as Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge and is longing for a big star.”
In the case of the Dodgers, they finished the season with 100 wins and 62 losses and took first place in the West Division, 16 games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks, but suffered a crushing loss in the division series, losing three games in a row to Arizona, which advanced through the wild card series. Since then, it has been steadily predicted that Ohtani, the biggest free agent, will head to the Dodgers.
In addition, the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, LA Angels, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, and San Diego Padres were mentioned.