Shoehei just underwent a surgery on his right elbow yesterday. Before the injury, it's been suggested that Shohei was in line to possibly receive $500 million contract offers from teams. These contracts are generally not worth that kind of investment in regards to any self-imposed salary cap each franchise's owner has for the team. Shohei does bring the cache of being an international superstar that will drive up revenue via merchandising and tv deals but saddles teams with a huge price tag that can hinder other free agent signings or contract extensions, so is it worth it for the team? Shohei is 29 years old coming off elbow surgery and will not be able to pitch in the 2024 season and could be limited to a DH role. The other, and bigger, issue with signing Shohei is the term on the contract. At 29 years old, GMs should be looking for a bigger yearly salary while offering a shorter deal. Most of the time, these massive contracts don't work out because the players are getting 7 or 8 year deals. If I was a GM looking to sign him, I'd offer the $500 million (not my money anyways) for 5/6 years, at most. Shohei would be 34-35 years old by the end of the contract, not retirement age if he is to stay healthy but not in his prime to warrant the large salary heading into his late 30s.
With that being said, I would love to see Ohtani in a major market. He could launch balls out of Yankee Stadium, hit dingers onto the Mass Pike in Boston, or drops bombs into the LA sunset while I stupidly hammer Dodgers' moneylines buzzed up late at night on the east coast.
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