Shohei Ohtani is the biggest name in modern-day baseball. There is a reason why experts and fans call him the Unicorn. He is doing something that’s unprecedented in the last 100 years of baseball. How can a player play at the highest level, both as a pitcher and a hitter? Nobody has really been able to do that before since the great Babe Ruth. But the Japanese two-way star is the first to do both in the same season. No wonder why he earned the American League MVP twice already.
He could have won the MVP last year as well. But the Unicorn missed it quite narrowly. However, anyway, the teams that are willing to land the Unicorn and have the cap space to afford him will give a tough fight. But the discussion regarding where Ohtani will head has been going on for a while. It is still quite unclear as the LA Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays are top contenders. Moreover, the whole free agency around Ohtani has been quite secretive so far. That’s what an MLB analyst has a problem with.
MLB Analyst Describes How Shohei Ohtani’s Free Agency Has Been A Big Missed Opportunity For The League Due To It’s “Too Much Of Secrecy”
Recently, Jorge Castillo expressed his discontent on the show “Foul Territory” on the too much secrecy of the Unicorn’s free agency. He believes a little bit more transparency and engaging the fans would do a lot of good for the game of basketball. Moreover, Castillo went on to compare the current Shohei Ohtani’s free agency with the 2010 free agency of LeBron James. According to Castillo, LBJ had a lot more exciting free agency because of the engagement of the fans. That always generates excitement. Moreover, Castillo added that there’s always supposed to be a balance between privacy and fan engagement.
"If everything's so secretive, it's just over the top. … A lot of people are saying, frankly, it's dumb."@jorgecastillo on why Ohtani's free agency being kept a secret is a huge missed opportunity for baseball.
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) December 6, 2023
▶️ https://t.co/BaiNUomDh6 pic.twitter.com/TKqUmpNUR7
He sure respects Shohei Ohtani’s privacy. But Castillo cited the examples of some sporting icons who had the perfect balance like Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, and Patrick Mahomes. Moreover, the MLB Analyst said that these icons understood the symbiotic relationship between players, media, and the fans. He believed Ohtani’s unique position could have been a celebration of the baseball game and brought a lot of joy to the fans. Instead, the lack of information creates speculation and a craving for more insight.
Some Teams Might Worry Because The Unicorn Can’t Pitch Before 2025
Anyway, ahead of the next season, the Japanese sensation is the biggest name available in the free agency market. However, there is one concern regarding Ohtani, and that’s his trouble with pitching. He won’t be able to pitch next season, and before undergoing Tommy John surgery he’s not 100% healthy. Hence, the teams that want to sign him must wonder about getting the whole package of Shohei Ohtani not before 2025.
For a two-way player like Ohtani, it is quite natural to sustain injuries due to a tremendous workload. But he has been able to carry that load pretty well. Hence, the teams may not worry too much. However, any contract for Shohei Ohtani must be a lot expensive. Not many teams can afford that, like the NY Yankees, who already had the most expensive payroll this year.