On ESPN’s First Take, while discussing Ohtani elbow surgery, Stephen A. Smith said Shohei Ohtani isn’t worth a huge contract because he doesn’t sell tickets.
Smith apparently doesn’t believe Ohtani was worth a $500 million contract, as some expect him to receive in free agency this winter.
He affirms Ohtani isn’t worth such a huge contract, he mentions the Angels haven’t won with the two-way star Ohtani on the roster. Smith said,
“I don’t want to hear any discussions anymore about him getting half a billion dollars,”
“You’re compromised in the field”
“Plenty of empty seats when Ohtani is pitching”
Stephen A after Shohei’s UCL injury. I wish Max Kellerman was still on the show lol he would have eviscerated Stephen A pic.twitter.com/tD0TbtSdWI
— Fuzzy (@fuzzyfromyt) September 20, 2023
He also added,
“There are a bunch of empty seats that I see when Shohei Ohtani’s pitching, let alone hitting… you’re not filling anything, you’re not winning, I’m not giving up that kind of money for him.”
According to him, as he suggested this should not be the end of the possibility of the Angels, or anyone else, a massive deal in free agency. He mentioned,
“I would hope that it would make the Angels and everybody else come to their damn senses,”
“You’re compromised in the field, Plenty of empty seats when Ohtani is pitching”
He pointed out what he felt value should be based on saying with news that Ohtani can’t pitch until 2025, it severely diminishes his value. In his words,
“Damn it, the Angels don’t win, when you observe the Dodgers, the Braves, look at various other teams, nobody on the list is making half a billion dollars.”
The comment by Smith didn’t go down well with the fans with Ohtani’s dominance despite the Angels’ organization methods over the years.
Fans have poured out on Twitter/X and other platforms saying any opinion of Smith about baseball is irrelevant.
