Shohei Ohtani ‘is worth $500MILLION,’ Manny Ramirez says of Angels’ two-way sensation
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Los Angeles Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani deserves a $500 million contract in free agency next winter, says 2004 World Series MVP Manny Ramirez.
“I think Shohei Ohtani is worth $500 million,” Ramirez, 50, told the radio station. Z101 in his native Dominican Republic. ‘It’s a phenomenon never seen before in MLB history. He can do it all.’
The math for the former Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox star is pretty straightforward: Ohtani deserves to be paid as one of the best pitchers and one of its best hitters in baseball.
“I would pay him $250 million for what he can do as a pitcher and the other $250 million for his quality as a hitter.” Ramirez said.
Los Angeles Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani deserves a $500 million contract in free agency next winter, says 2004 World Series MVP Manny Ramirez.
Several league insiders predict that Ohtani will be paid around $500 million after next season. ESPN reported that a former player-turned-analyst believes he can make between $45 million and $50 million a year over an eight-year deal. Meanwhile, an agent told ESPN that Ohtani’s deal would be in the range of 10 years and $430 million, which would top Aaron Judge’s average annual salary of $40 million per year.
Another executive told ESPN that a 12-year, $480 million contract is within reason.
The Angels have already stated that they have no intention of trading Ohtani before he becomes a free agent.
The math for the former Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox star is pretty straightforward: Ohtani deserves to be paid as one of the best pitchers and one of its best hitters in baseball.
Ohtani’s teammate, Mike Trout, currently has the largest contract in baseball, at 12 years, $426 million. Meanwhile, New York Mets pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander have the highest average annual salaries at $43.3 million.
In October, Ohtani agreed to a $30 million contract with the Angels for the 2023 season in his final year of arbitration eligibility before free agency.
Ohtani’s deal is fully secured, with no other provisions. The deal is the largest one-year contract ever awarded to an arbitration-eligible player, surpassing the $27 million the Boston Red Sox gave Mookie Betts in January 2020, a month before he was traded to the Dodgers. of the Angels.
Ohtani’s $24.5 million increase to his 2022 salary is by far the largest for an arbitration-eligible player in major league history. He broke the previous record of $9.6 million set by Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets when his salary increased from $7.4 million to $17 million before the 2019 season. .
In an interview at Tokyo’s Haneda airport in October, Ohtani said it was “a good season for me personally.” It’s not so good for the Angels, though.
Without solid support for former AL MVPs Ohtani and Mike Trout, the Angels suffered a seventh straight losing season and missed the playoffs for the eighth straight year.
“I have to say that August and September in particular seemed longer to me than last year,” Ohtani said, speaking in Japanese. “We couldn’t play as many good games as we would like, including 14 straight losses. So I have a pretty negative impression of this season.”
The Angels finished 73-89 and fell 33 games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West.
The Angels last made the playoffs in 2014. Ohtani joined in 2018, leaving one of baseball’s biggest stars sidelined for the game’s biggest stage.
Ohtani went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA as a pitcher. As a hitter he hit 34 home runs, had 95 RBIs and hit .273.
They asked him about the possibility of being the American League MVP again.
“I am happy to be considered as a candidate,” he said.
Ohtani has already collected plenty of awards. He was the American League MVP last year. Last season, Commissioner Rob Manfred also presented him with a special award, the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award, to recognize his two-way play.
He was open to playing for Japan in next year’s World Baseball Classic, which takes place before the MLB season.
“Many top-class players from the United States and Latin American Major Leagues have announced their participation,” Ohtani said. ‘Participating in this tournament is very attractive for me. I have that kind of feeling.