To everyone’s relief, the Angels have avoided arbitration with Shohei Ohtani as the two sides have agreed to a 2 year deal of 8.5 million. It is structured to be 3 million in 2021 and 5.5 in 2022.
Shohei Ohtani had reached his first year of arbitration this offseason and did not make a deal to sign before arbitration numbers were exchanged. With hearings very soon, it was important to get a deal done beforehand.
This is because an Arbitration hearing forces the team to basically list the reasons why your player is not good and doesn’t deserve the money. Ugly arbitration hearings has soured relationships between players and teams. By also making it a 2 year deal, this mess is avoided next offseason.
Ohtani still has another year of arbitration after the deal is up, and hopefully by then his place on the team is cleared up. In a sea of bad news, it is refreshing to have something go right for the Angels.
How do you see Ohtani doing this season? Leave your guesses down in the comments and next offseason we can see who was correct.
Hopefully, he kills it this year and forces the team’s hand at another extension soon.
If Shohei can start 15 or 16 games and win 9 or 10, that would put in a competitive position. If you consider that he can hit 20 – 25 HRs then we will be in the thick of things all along. Nobody thought that the ’67 BoSox would go from last to first but it happened.
Ohtani is our best trade chip.
Ummm. No.
When he’s at his peak, Ohtani is an ace- caliber pitcher in the Blake Snell 5-6 inning mold. But the last time he pitched many innings was 2016 at age 21. He’s going into his age 26 season but turning 27 in July. It’s now or never for him to carve out a meaningful career. I’m not holding my breath. He has to be healthy but more importantly get his mind right. Last year was ugly. He was “up” there with Tehran and Adell in being horrendous. Hopefully he went back to Japan and cleared his mind and got in touch with his old support system.
Peak Ohtani this year would be about 18 starts, (10/8) 90 innings of rookie Shohei on the mound and another 20Hr .275 on 325AB. That would be a 4-WAR season I think. That would give this team a monster lift. I really think last year tanked on Ohtani’s start in Oakland.
Photo: Maybe the Auto Start was a Jinx?
Glad they got this done.
Really, 4 mil AAV is a steal for Ohtani, even if you are only getting him as a hitter/DH.
Glad Perry finally signed that pitcher with upside that everyone have been asking for.
2yrs $8m is a deal. Quintana cost $8m for only one year
In Perry I Trust!
If (and it’s a big if) Ohtani is healthy and can pitch like a consistent front of the rotation starter, the Angels are a significantly improved team. I just don’t know how much we can count on that.
I think that it is good that we keep assuming next to nothing from Ohtani. If we build a decent rotation without his contribution, then we could do really well if he has bounced back from TJ.
Agreed. Expect nothing but really hope he gets in 10-15 starts. On a team as marginal as this one, that could be the key extra 4-5 wins needed to make or miss the playoffs.
I honestly see him more as a part of the future OF mix than a SP these days. Possibly a reliever-OF, but not optimistic at all that he can start reliably.
Hopefully he has been throwing this off season and building his arm strength and confidence in the arm being completely healed. Going down last year was disappointing but not unexpected from someone coming back from TJ surgery. 16 starts, 80 to 90 innings pitched of 3.89 ERA, yes I’m feeling optimistic for Shohei this year. 300 to 395 PA, batting .283 20 HR maybe (They are bringing in a deader ball this season that is also lighter).
Pretty sure I read he’s been on a regular throwing routine.
By my count there are 25 games on Sunday this year. Assuming they try to keep him on his normal routine and also keep his innings down, he could miss the first two months (9 Sundays), take the one before the all star break off, then head into the home stretch both in shape and with very limited innings on his arm.
That would lead to 15 starts, most being 5 innings I’d imagine. Seems like a decent plan, anyway.
I’m always a big fan of making communication and finding common ground. I’m glad this is behind both sides for two years, although I would expect them to act professionally.
My Ohtani prediction: 12 starts, 65 innings in the regular season.
350ish PA and a wRC+ of 115
In short, he’s back, but with kid gloves.
Our best signing of the winter. Imagine, throwing bb’s like he did during his rookie year and what that would do for the team? #GameChanger
Base on Balls?
Great news! I wish we locked him up for longer but I’m thrilled to avoid arbitration.
Can he pitch? This move doesn’t move the needle. Just another wing and a prayer pitching signing that has .500 written all over it. Arte hates pitchers and winning championships. I should go become a Padres fan, but I won’t because my bitterness is the only thing keeping me alive….. like a flabbier less smart Punisher.
I had high hopes for Ohtani when he first joined the team. I have come to the realization that he is: injury prone, streaky, and a free swinger.
Sarcasm is your middle name
That’s too funny gitcho. I’m gonna have to print all your comments and let you eat them when we go to the Division Series.
Eating paper = regularity.
Do you have an alter ego? I mean seriously.
Of course I’m happy this got resolved, but I do think this is probably a case where the plaintiff’s could have gone to arbitration without souring the relationship, considering they could basically just refer to the uncertainty whether he’ll be able to pitch at a top level in the future based on his injuries.
I am glad they didn’t take that risk though
It may be fun to load up some GIFs of Ohtani pitching in Japan etc so we can remember exactly who it is that idiot Eppler signed. Now days a huge percentage of the pitchers, especially younger ones, who have TJS bounce back, it just takes a while.
But whenever I see a GIF of him pitching healthy it make me not understand at all why so many people around here tuck it in and start talking like this guy’s not going to pitch anymore. They are 100% going to pitch him this year.
Pitching and throwing rockets when playing in RF