There has been plenty of speculation as to how much money Shohei Ohtani will receive in free agency. One former MLB legend has a dollar amount in mind.
According to Hector Gomez, Manny Ramirez feels that the Los Angeles Angels star is worth $500 million on the open market. Calling him a “phenomenon never seen before in MLB history,” Ramirez said that Ohtani is worth $250 million as a pitcher and another $250 million for what he can do in the batter’s box.
Shohei Ohtani getting massive contract if Manny Ramirez is correct
Ohtani had been an interesting story prior to the 2021 season. He showed flashes of his two way potential but had not been able to live up to expectations due to injury and the pandemic shortened 2020 campaign. However, once he was fully healthy to begin 2021, Ohtani hit the ground running and has not stopped.
He showed that he can be a true ace atop the Angels rotation once the 2021 season began. Ohtani has posted a 2.70 ERA and a 1.046 WHiP in his 296.1 innings, striking out 375 batters with 88 walks. That walk total is all the more impressive when one considers that 19 of those walks came in his first 18.2 innings in 2021 as he continued to work back from Tommy John surgery.
That dominance was also clear on the offensive side. Ohtani has a .265/.364/.554 batting line in his 1305 plate appearances over the past two years, hitting 80 homers and 56 doubles while stealing 37 bases. He was the 2021 AL MVP, finished second in the MVP vote and fourth in the Cy Young voting in 2022, is a two time All Star, and won a Silver Slugger award. He has certainly made his mark on the game.
And he is set to make his mark on the record books financially as well. Only four players have received at least $40 million per season in MLB history. Ohtani could easily shatter that mark given his unique skillset. As Ramirez said, he is easily worth $500 million – and he just may get that.
Manny Ramirez feels that Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani is worth $500 million in free agency. He would be worth every cent of that deal.