adminThe Los Angeles Dodgers may have the best deal in the world, but it’s the Los Angeles Angels who are the favorites.
The consensus is that Shohei Ohtani (29, LA Angels) will command more than $500 million in free agency in 2023-2024, even with a bad elbow injury. Even if he doesn’t have Tommy John surgery, he’ll need elbow surgery, and Idoru’s status for 2024 is uncertain.
But even if he does return in 2025, Ohtani’s value will still be there. The Athletic columnist Jim Borden believes that even if Ohtani doesn’t return, the $500 million threshold won’t be broken.
Borden made the prediction in a piece for The Athletic on Sept. 9, and he talked about his priorities at the free-agent negotiating table. The number one thing is money. It’s a no-brainer. In the world of professional sports contracts, authenticity is money.
Next on the list is a team on the West Coast, which is widely believed to be Ohtani’s preferred destination. That’s partly why Ohtani chose the Los Angeles Angels when he entered the majors five years ago, but Borden insists that the most important thing is “the possibility of winning a World Series.
“I’ve heard a lot of talk about geography playing a big role in choosing the next team, but I’ve also heard that it’s not a major consideration,” he said. “If Ohtani prefers the West Coast, but the team at least matches the best offer (meaning money) he gets in free agency, the likelihood of winning a championship is going to be a bigger factor than geography.”
In other words, even if it’s a West Coast team, he won’t go if the chances of winning aren’t there. In that sense, it’s safe to say that the LA Angels have a 0% chance of staying. At this point, the LA Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and Seattle Mariners are the leading Western teams.
On the other hand, the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees are among the non-West teams that have been mentioned. The New York Mets’ position is a bit murky. This means that teams in the Central and Eastern divisions have a chance to win the battle for Ohtani if they have the ability to win a championship.
“Ohtani will enter free agency with an open mind and eyes wide open,” Borden said. All things being equal, he won’t choose an East Coast or Midwest team, but that’s not a foregone conclusion. Winning trumps everything for him.”
Borden added: “He wants to be the center of the biggest stage. That means playing on Halloween every year and visiting the White House multiple times as a World Series champion over the next few years. That’s his goal.”바카라사이트
To summarize, there’s a good chance the Dodgers are still the favorite. They have the money to win, they’ve built a roster that’s more consistently capable of winning the World Series than any other team, and they’re serious about challenging for a World Series title. Instead, the other West clubs will have to prove to Ohtani that they’re ready to win to change the tone of the bidding war. Of course, being ready for $500 million+α is a start.