MLB rumors: Shohei Ohtani’s contract expectations should be out of this world

The Los Angeles Angels plan to pay Shohei Ohtani a lot of money. Just how much remains to be seen, but Robert Murray expects an astronomical offer.

Ohtani could reset the market on his own. In modern baseball, we’ve never seen a player like him. A player who can pitch at an All-Star level, and hit 40+ home runs at his best?

No, it’s impossible. Babe Ruth doesn’t play in 2022.

At least that’s what we all thought just a few years ago, before Ohtani tore up the American League and won the first of what could be many MVPs. Assuming he stays healthy, Ohtani is in line to receive a massive payday after 2023 — his first and only year of arbitration.

LA would rather not let it get to that point. While they should be scared about Ohtani’s longevity, the only thing more unlucky than a significant injury would be the two-way star staying healthy, but playing elsewhere.

Shohei Ohtani rumors: What are the Angels contract expectations?

FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray suggested on the latest edition of The Baseball Insiders’ podcast that Ohtani could receive a multi-year deal worth upwards of $50 million per season, which would be the largest annual AAV in the history of the sport.

This confirms some suspicion around baseball, particularly from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, that the Ohtani chase will be unlike anything we’ve seen in the free-agent age.

The two sides did start negotiations last offseason, and this is what Rosenthal reported at the time:

"“Club officials expressed an understanding that to sign Ohtani, they would need to award him a record average salary, surpassing Max Scherzer’s $43.3 million. But the Angels, at least at that time, were reluctant to make the kind of long-term offer Ohtani almost certainly would command on the open market, sources said. Ohtani, coming off an MVP season, was at the peak of his value, much like Judge is right now with the Yankees. The talks never gained traction.”"

This means the Angels would have the majority of their budget — just under $100 million — tied up on two players in Ohtani and Mike Trout. While both are generational talents, it underscores just how tough it is to compete in this era of record spending.

How are they supposed to fill out the rest of their team, especially with Anthony Rendon still on the books?

Winning is everything for players, including Trout and Ohtani. Yet, doing that with the Angels has proven tougher than expected.