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Shohei Ohtani has cemented himself as a human cheat code since making his Major League Baseball debut with the Angels in 2018, and while he was largely expected to sign the largest contract in MLB history in his impending free agency, that may no longer be the case.
It seemed like baseball had moved beyond the days when a player could dominate in the batter’s box and on the pitcher’s mound, but Ohtani has been able to do exactly that over the course of a simply absurd career where he’s secured Rookie of the Year honors, an AL MVP award, and three All-Star Game selections.
Of course, it’s been hard not to wonder if the 29-year-old’s workload could come back to bite him in the long run—especially when you consider he had Tommy John surgery following the conclusion of his rookie season to treat a UCL that fell victim to the wear and tear that can be traced back to his playing days in Japan.
Those concerns have once again reared their ugly head now that the Angels have announced the right-handed ace is done pitching for the remainder of the season after being diagnosed with a torn UCL in his throwing arm, and while it’s unclear how he plans to address the setback, it seems like there’s a chance he could undergo his second procedure on the ligament in the past five years.
Now, it’s very hard to imagine that ailment is going to suddenly cause Ohtani to become a shell of himself, but it may end up costing him a ton of money when he officially hits free agency once the current campaign wraps up.
According to an article Darren Rovell penned for Action Network, one unnamed “high-ranking front office source” believes teams are going to be fairly hesitant to break the bank while pursuing Ohtani in the wake of the injury news, and they estimated the contract he’ll ultimately receive could be worth $100 million less than what he probably would’ve gotten otherwise.
At the end of the day, Ohtani is still going to do very, very well for himself, and while he could’ve theoretically gotten some insurance by re-signing with the Angels before this development, it’s hard to blame him for wanting to explore his options when you consider the franchise has been unable to capitalize on having him (and Mike Trout) on the roster.