Over the last 12 months, one of the biggest stories in baseball has been Shohei Ohtani’s contract and where the Japanese two-way phenom would end up. After six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, many expected him to remain with the organization that had brought him over from Japan. During the 2023 season, Ohtani was playing on a one-year, 30 million deal. As the season reached the final stages, many expected Angels owner Arte Moreno to put together an offer to retain Ohtani on a long-term deal.
A recent piece by Sports Illustrated Tom Verducci suggests the Angels never really had a realistic shot at re-signing Ohtani, mostly due to Moreno’s valuation of Ohtani’s contract.
“Moreno figured a contract for Ohtani would ‘start with a 4,’ according to a source familiar with the team’s planning. The Angels and Balelo agreed to play the season out and address the future then,” wrote Verducci.
Arte Moreno never believed Shohei would get a contract worth more than $500M 😅
Moreno figured a contract for Ohtani would "start with a 4."
(via SI's Tom Verducci) pic.twitter.com/0FoC2ZuLEJ
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) March 20, 2024
Many analysts expected Ohtani’s contract to shatter the previous record held by Mike Trout’s $426.5 million deal. Some had projected the number could go as high as $600 million and despite a late season injury, experts were confident the number would remain above $500 million.
Moreno’s estimates for one of the greatest players we have seen in decades was no where close to the actually figure. The Los Angeles Dodgers eventually agreed to a 10-year, $700 million contract with Ohtani.
Verducci goes on to state that Moreno informed agent Nez Balelo early in free agency that he was out on signing the two-way superstar.
The miscalculation and inability to act earlier in the season definitely cost the Angels an opportunity to trade Ohtani and acquire some talented prospects. Instead, Ohtani ended up walking away for free, across town to the Dodgers.
