"This winter's winter meeting is not fun. It's boring. The entire industry has stopped."
The American sports media outlet 'The Athletic' evaluated the American professional baseball Major League (MLB) Winter Meeting on the 7th (Korean time), which was held for four days from the 4th, as follows. Contrary to everyone's expectations, Otani's future has still not been decided.
Just a few days ago, it seemed like Otani would soon put his stamp on it. MLB.com, the official Major League Baseball website, reported on the 30th of last month, "Ohtani will sign a contract with a new team during the MLB Winter Meetings," and MLB Network's John Heyman also said, "Ohtani will sign a contract with a new team before the end of the Winter Meetings." “There are many opinions that he will be looking for a new team,” he said, adding, “Club executives believe that Ohtani will sign the largest contract at this winter meeting.”
ESPN's Jeff Passan said on the 1st, "The total contract amount can be at least $550 million (approximately 714.5 billion won), and other sources believe that $600 million (approximately 779.4 billion won) is also possible," he said. It was predicted that it would exceed the record for the highest contract in North American professional sports history (12 years total $426.5 million, approximately 552.9 billion won) set by Mike Trout of the Angels in February.
Ohtani, who has spent six seasons since his big league debut in 2018, has played both pitcher and hitter, recording a total of 86 games, 481⅔ innings, 38 wins, 19 losses, an ERA of 3.01, 716 games, 681 hits in 2,483 at-bats, a batting average of 0.274, 171 home runs, 437 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.922. It surprised everyone. He also led Japan to victory at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March of this year. Although Ohtani has to focus on batting in the 2024 season after undergoing elbow ligament fusion surgery (Tommy John surgery), it is true that expectations are still high for him.
Ohtani, whose contract with the LA Angels expired at the end of this season, declined the club's qualifying offer (QO) and wanted to receive the market's evaluation. Meanwhile, multiple teams looking to strengthen their power began to show interest in Otani.
However, Otani failed to make a mark even at the Winter Meeting. 무료스포츠중계 Players who moved his team include Alex Verdugo, Kirby Yates, and Jared Kelenic. The Athletic explained, “The only player that general fans know is Verdugo, who transferred from the Boston Red Sox to the ‘rival team’ New York Yankees.” As such, the atmosphere of the winter meeting was calmer than ever.
It is true that several teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays and LA Dodgers, are interested in Ohtani. However, specific details such as destination or amount were not disclosed. This is because Otani's agent, Nez Valero, requested that the clubs not disclose details related to the negotiations.
The Athletic said, "Ohtani's free agency secrecy is not surprising. In keeping with his agent Valero's preference, Ohtani is committed to keeping everything from the type of elbow surgery to the name of his dog secret."
As a result, a single word could have a big impact. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who recently announced that recruiting Ohtani was his top priority, drew attention from fans by revealing that he met with Ohtani for nearly three hours at read more Dodger Stadium. The reaction was different from that of other team coaches, who avoided answering whether they would meet with Otini. Coach Roberts, who faced Ohtani on the 1st, expected a positive result, saying, "(Ohtani and the team) became closer, and it was fun to spend time together."
The Athletic said, "Coach Roberts' remarks are not a problem. Just because the two sides met, isn't there an opportunity for the other team? Fans want to know how (Ohtani's) contract is progressing. If everyone keeps quiet at the winter meeting, that's the problem." “He repeatedly expressed his disappointment with Otani’s actions.
While Coach Roberts announced that he met Ohtani in person, the Toronto Blue Jays also reportedly met with Ohtani once at a spring training facility in Florida on the 5th. As decision time approaches, what decision will Otani make?