Star two-way player of the Los Angeles Angels, Shohei Ohtani, is going to be a hot pick in the upcoming free agency. His projected market value could nearly be around $600 million, which is expected to shatter historical records. His current contract with the Angels will end at the conclusion of the 2023 season. Moreover, the team has not shown any interest in either retaining him or trading him before the season concludes.
But the best case scenario for Ohtani is to enter free agency as a free agent to attain more value. While the off-season is still several months away, rumors regarding his landing spot have been doing rounds for a while now. So far, the Dodgers and Mets seem like front runners. However, the Yankees are also reportedly lurking around to crack a deal that looks highly unrealistic to this renowned reporter.
Reporter Rejects Shohei Ohtani-Yankees Probable Deal
Yankees captain Aaron Judge earlier expressed his desire to play alongside rising star Shohei Ohtani in the pinstripes at the Bronx. Moreover, a Japanese insider reported that the two-way player wants to land at the Yankees or Mets in the upcoming offseason. The Bombers, too, look seemingly interested. However, renowned MLB reporter Chris Kirschner of The Athletic has cast heavy doubt on the move. He cited team owner Hal Steinbrenner’s recent comments to prove his point.
Chris said that acquiring Ohtani would exceed the team’s payroll by over $300 million, which Hal will strictly oppose. He further pointed out that the Yankees are cash-strapped. Having Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, and Shohei Ohtani alone would eat up above $100 million of payroll. So to fill out the rest of the roster, the team will have to shed a lot of salaries which looks like a highly impossible task for the moment. Hence, realistically speaking, the reporter sees no scenarios where Ohtani could don the pinstripes next season. It’s nothing but a wild and delusional dream.
Chris Kirschner Lists Out The Only Scenario Where Ohtani Could End Up At Bronx
Athletic reporter Chris Kirschner played out every off-season scenario. And came to the conclusion that landing Shohei Ohtani would be next to impossible for the Yankees. However, the dream could come true only if the owner Hal Steinbrenner is willing to offer a blank cheque to the star Japanese player. Chris said that Ohtani is worth every penny spent. If it were for him, he would blindly offer him the asked price. But for Hal, he needs to look at the financial perspective.
It’s not reasonable for him to spend such a big amount on Ohtani whilst having Aaron Judge ($360 million) and Gerrit Cole ($324 million) in the same lineup. With the luxury tax regulation in place, the club will think twice before such heavy spending. While landing Shohei Ohtani is tempting for any team, including the Yankees, one just can’t simply ignore the financial aspects.
