Mets manager Buck Showalter and his team are already speculating about Shohei Ohtani possibly earning a contract worth a billion dollars in New York.
Shohei Ohtani, the superstar from the Los Angeles Angels, will become a free agent this winter. There is speculation in the baseball community that he will sign the biggest contract in MLB history.
"Someone on our team plane the other day mentioned the 'B' word," Mets manager Buck Showalter told Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Nightingale added, "Realistically, executives believe he'll receive between $500 million to $550 million."
Ohtani would be a valuable addition to any team, but the Mets could especially benefit from him.
Despite Mets' owner Steve Cohen investing $445 million last offseason to improve the team, the Mets are in fourth place in the NL East with a record of 42-48 heading into the All-Star break. Mets All-Stars Pete Alonso and Kodai Senga have already started making their pitches for the phenom.
Angels must start winning if they want to keep Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani is a unique baseball player who excels both as a slugger and a pitcher. He has a batting average of .302 and has hit 32 home runs, pacing the Majors. In addition, he has 71 RBI and an impressive 1.050 OPS.
As a pitcher, he has recorded 132 strikeouts in 100.1 innings across 17 games this season, with a 3.32 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.
Considering his exceptional performance, no team would want to trade him, but losing him in free agency without any compensation would be an even bigger setback. The Boston Red Sox's trade of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees 103 years ago is still remembered as a joke. But at least they got something back, right? Imagine if they let him walk for nothing. That's the tightrope the Angels are walking.
"Teams inquiring about Ohtani have been told that owner Arte Moreno still has every intention of keeping him for the remainder of the season in hopes they can re-sign him as a free agent," Nightengale wrote. He added that "teams are hoping that Moreno changes his mind if they continue to struggle with three-time MVP Mike Trout out until late August with a broken hamate bone."
The Angels will likely match any offers that Ohtani gets in free agency, so that money won't be a problem. However, he might leave mainly because the Angels haven't been winning. The team never made the playoffs in his first five seasons. Although the 45-46 Angels have a chance this year, they are five games behind the final AL Wild Card spot. Unfortunately, with Trout's recent injury and the team's five-game losing streak, their chances of making it to the playoffs seem far-fetched.
Currently, the Angels are relying on the hope of re-signing Ohtani this winter, as his departure would be a significant loss. However, if this plan fails, it could become one of the greatest mistakes in sports history.