Shohei Ohtani has agreed to a one-year, $30 million US deal ahead of free agency in the final year of two-way superstar arbitration eligibility for the 2023 season with the Los Angeles Angels.
The Angels announced the deal on Saturday, avoiding a potentially complicated arbitration case with the 2021 American League MVP.
Ohtani’s deal is fully guaranteed, with no other provisions. The contract is the largest ever awarded to an arbitration-eligible player, surpassing the $27M paid by the Boston Red Sox to Mookie Bates in January 2020, a month before he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers .
Ohtani is batting. 276 as Helos’ designated hitter with 34 homers, 94 RBI and a .888 OPS. He is 15-8 with 2.35 ERA and 213 strikeouts as his ace on the mound, and opponents are batting only .207 against him.
Ohtani, 28, will still be a free agent after the 2023 season, and his future may be tied to the immediate fate of the Angels, who will complete their seventh consecutive losing season next week. The Angels did not trade Ohtani on the deadline despite being relegated from the playoff race, and Ohtani is wildly popular among fans of the club.
Ohtani has said repeatedly that victory will be a key factor in choosing his home side beyond 2023, and Angels boss Arte Moreno is currently looking to sell the team.
Moreno’s leadership has been widely criticized during the Angels’ mostly pathetic run since 2009, and a fresh start with new owners with deep pockets may be Ohtani’s best chance to convince him to stay with that franchise. In which he joined from Japan in 2018. Ohtani immediately won the AL Rookie of the Year award, and he scored in unparalleled form last season after making a full recovery from Tommy John surgery.
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