Shohei Ohtani Agrees To 1-Year, $30 Million Deal With Angels, Setting Up Massive Free Agency After 2023
The Los Angeles Angels might have had a disappointing 2022 season, missing the playoffs yet again despite having Mike Trout and a number of young prospects seemingly ready to contribute.
But at the very least, they've avoided alienating their most important player. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that they've agreed to a 1-year, $30 million deal with Shohei Ohtani. It avoids any potential arbitration issues during the offseason.
This is the largest single-year salary for an arbitration-eligible player. It is, of course, deserved for someone of Ohtani's essentially unprecedented skill set.
$30 million also marks a massive raise for the two-way superstar, as he made just $5.5 million for the 2022 season.
Shohei Ohtani. (Getty Images)
Beyond his unbelievable value on a roster, being an elite hitter AND elite pitcher, Ohtani is also likely the biggest single draw in Major League Baseball.
Fans have rightly realized that Ohtani is doing something entirely unique and that will almost certainly never be seen again.
Unbelievable Numbers For Angels' Shohei Ohtani
His 2022 season was even better than previous years, considering how dominant his pitching line has been.
On top of being 46% better than league average as a hitter, with 34 home runs and a .359 on base percentage, Ohtani has demolished opposing teams as a pitcher too.
He's striking out nearly 12 hitters per nine innings, ranks fourth in the American League with a 2.35 ERA, and has the third highest pitching WAR total in the AL.
Hard to do much better than that.
What Does the Future Hold?
Even at $30 million, Ohtani is wildly underpaid.
He's accumulated 9.3 WAR combined, one of the most valuable individual seasons in recent memory.
If not for Aaron Judge's incredible output, Ohtani would be the runaway MVP yet again.
With free agency approaching, Ohtani could command an astonishing sum, something that could be complicated by potential new ownership in Anaheim.
He'll have his pick of teams to choose from, whether he wants to remain where he's played his entire career, or move to an organization with a better recent track record of playoff appearances.
Either way, the average annual salary is going to be awe inspiring, and could break records. Quite literally no one offers the skillset that Ohtani does.
Free agency is yet to be determined, but for 2023, Shohei's already setting salary records.