Occasionally after one of his rare poor pitching performances, Shohei Ohtani would enter the Los Angeles Angels’ dugout and joke, “Maybe just hit.” As in, maybe just give up pitching altogether and focus on the offensive side of the game.
Ohtani plans no such thing. His agent, Nez Balelo of CAA, is telling clubs interested in Ohtani as a free agent that he intends to remain a two-way player. But around the Angels, the common belief was that the Japanese superstar enjoys hitting more than pitching. And the reality of his current circumstance is that, after undergoing surgery in September to repair a damaged ligament in his pitching elbow, he will not pitch in 2024.
The biggest question in baseball — what is Ohtani worth? — remains unchanged. But the uncertainty surrounding Ohtani’s future as a pitcher after his second major elbow surgery in five years makes his free agency perhaps even more complex than it was before.
Interviews with seven executives from teams interested in Ohtani, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because the collective-bargaining agreement prohibits club officials from commenting on free agents, revealed a variety of opinions on the type of contract he will command, his potential impact on a team’s business and yes, his pitching future.
“I think he will come back. I think he will pitch very, very successfully for a period of time,” an AL executive said. “What I need to understand is, what is his desire to pitch? How long does he want to pitch? Nez is going to say one thing. But at the root of it, I think this guy’s a hitter. I think that’s what he loves. I don’t know how long he wants to pitch and how long he can successfully continue to do that.”
Said an NL executive, “I’ll bet on him returning. I just don’t know how long to make the bet. That’s the hard part. What’s the staying power?”
ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57y6KtnmWSobyov46on62Znp56r7HWrGSrrZ2kv7R5z6ucnaGTqbawutJmo6KulWLCsbDArZysZ3%2BJg3GctZKOip6fmXx1ksWHb22EhqWnecCO