Jeff Passan still foresees $500M offers for Shohei Ohtani even though UCL tear has made $700M contract a distant dream
While the baseball world remains dejected and crushed after hearing about Shohei Ohtani's recent injury, one MLB insider is staying positive.
Ohtani, who is on track to win his second MVP award in three years, suffered an elbow injury that will see him sidelined as a pitcher for the rest of the year.
The setback comes at an unfortunate time for Ohtani, who is set to enter the free agency market at the end of the year. The Japanese superstar is currently on the final months of his one-year, $30 million agreement with the Los Angeles Angeles. Many experts believe his next contract could hit as high as $600-700 million.
The torn UCL means it is possible that Shohei Ohtani would have to undergo a second Tommy John surgery. That could be a concern for any potential MLB suitors that were hoping to sign a two-way player who can dominate on both the pitching and hitting front.
MLB insider Jeff Passan, however, believes there will still be plenty of interest for the 29-year-old:
"He was on track to get $600-650-700M. I still think he's going to get $500M."
Passan was speaking on a recent epsisode of the Rich Eisen Show and thinks Ohtani will still receive an MLB-record contract.
Rich Eisen Show (8:06)
The largest MLB contract was the $426.5 million extension awarded to Mike Trout by the Los Angeles Angels in 2019.
"Yes, Ohtani is going to lose money...but, I still think he is going to end up with the biggest contract a baseball player has ever got," added Passan
Passan remains confident that teams will be battling each other all offseason to secure the signature of one of baseball's all-time greats.
Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani currently leads the MLB in HRs and OPS
Over the past three seasons, Ohtani has been one of the league's top performers.
In 2021, he was named the American League MVP after finishing with 46 home runs, 100 RBIs and 156 strikeouts.
"Shohei Ohtani will continue to hit in the Angels lineup despite suffering a torn UCL, per @Alden_Gonzalez" - B/R Walk-Off
The following year, he fell just short of his second MVP title, losing out to New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.
This year, Ohtani leads the league in home runs (44), OPS (1.069) and triples (7). On the pitchign front, he ranks first in batting average against (.184) and 11th in strikeouts (167).