Last night the Angels lost the services of Mike Trout. In the heat of the playoffs, it hurts the formation of Anaheim very badly.
But nobody talks about it. For what? Because Shohei Ohtani is also injured. And that’s a lot more important, let’s say… which says a lot about the situation.
For those who didn’t see the situation, yesterday Ohtani pitched 1.1 innings before quitting. He had fatigue in his arm and his velocity was down. It has been examined.
Result? Season ended (as a pitcher) due to a tear in the elbow. The big bad words “Tommy John” blow in his neck, but nothing is announced in this direction.
For the Angels, who are far from the playoffs, it’s a short-term disaster. After all, even if he keeps punching for now, he’s clearly in bad shape.
And if he doesn’t return to the game this year, it will be hard to get people into the stands. Note that he should still win the MVP… unless he no longer hits at all.
But the real question is long term. After all, remember that the pitcher and hitter of choice will become a free agent.
Rumors gave him a contract of at least $500 million. After all, he dominates in both positions and he is an impressive marketing tool.
Is it still worth $500 million, then?
According to Ken Rosenthal, it is still worth it. This does not mean that it will be so easy, but he still risks having an interesting contract.
I have a feeling Ohtani will be paid as an excellent hitter and his contract will contain huge performance bonuses if he pitches.
So if he doesn’t pitch, he gets paid as one of the best hitters in the league. And if he throws, he becomes (by far) the highest paid player on the circuit.
It would be honest.
But the more I think about it, the better I feel Ohtani’s chances of signing his next contract with the Angels. And I’m not the only one…
For what? Because if Ohtani no longer has the bargaining power of yesteryear with his injury, he may decide to review his priorities.
Before, he wanted to win. There, on the sidelines of what could be a second big career injury, he could prefer comfort.
We know he wants to win (and even when the Angels try, they can’t), but he’s also comfortable in LA. And the older he gets, the more likely he is to get hurt.
Maybe he will want to stay in town for the short, medium or long term, so as not to uproot himself if he ever has to recover from a potential Tommy John.
Can this go through a short-term contract? I don’t think so, because who knows what its value will be in two or three years…
But I think, more than ever, the Angels have a chance. Ohtani has always respected the fact that the Angels put him at the center of the plan and helped him develop as a pitcher and hitter…
