Where will Shohei Ohtani be hitting — and pitching — in 2024?
It’s the burning question concerning the Los Angeles Angels and MLB at large, as the 28-year-old Ohtani hits the open market after the 2023 season.
Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, spoke to media members on Monday, and he was open but noncommittal about whether the two-way superstar would sign an extension with the Angels.
“I’ve always been open to it,” Balelo told ESPN. “But there’s several layers to this one, and Shohei’s earned the right to play through the year, explore free agency, and we’ll see where it shakes out.”
[Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes: Ranking every MLB team’s chances to sign him]
Ohtani put together the best pitching performance of his five-year MLB career in 2022, posting a 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 219 strikeouts across 166.0 innings (28 starts). At the plate, he totaled 34 home runs, 95 RBIs and 11 stolen bases while posting a .273/.356/.519 slash line.
Ohtani finished second in 2022 AL MVP voting behind New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who blasted an AL-record 62 home runs, and fourth in 2022 AL Cy Young voting. Ohtani won the 2021 AL MVP.
As for the Angels’ lure, the franchise is coming off a 73-89 season and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2014. Star center fielder Mike Trout and third baseman Anthony Rendon have missed extensive time due to injuries.
Los Angeles signed left-hander Tyler Anderson and infielder Brandon Drury while trading for outfielder Hunter Renfroe and infielder Gio Urshela this offseason. Meanwhile, Angels owner Arte Moreno announced in January that he was ending the “exploratory process” of selling the team after listening to offers over the summer.
Balelo isn’t sure how important the Angels being a contender is for Ohtani’s free agency.
“He’s so competitive, like all great players are, so of course they want to experience postseason, of course they’d love to be in the World Series,” Balelo said of Ohtani. “But is that the deciding factor? I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
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