Shohei Ohtani, Angels Agree to Record $30M Contract for 2023, Avoid Arbitration

The Los Angeles Angels agreed to a one-year, $30 million contract with two-way superstars Shohei Ohtani and Albert Pujols.

Unless the Angels and Ohtani can agree on a long-term deal before the end of the campaign, Ohtani will be a free agent at the end of the campaign.

Ken Rosenthal @Ken_Rosenthal

The Ohtani contact is a record for an arbitration-eligible player (11% above old record of $27M by Betts). His $24.5M raise Is the biggest year-to-year increase ever for a player, and it puts him in the top 10 as of now for 2023 salary and AAV.

He was named the American League's Most Valuable Player after going 9-2 with a 3.18 earned run average and 156 strikeouts in 23 starts.

Ohtani's 8.1 mark as a position player and 3.0 mark as a pitcher was the best in Major League Baseball.

There were only two other players with a WAR over 7.0, and they were both from the Brewers and the Phils.

40 percent of the wins above replacement total for the Angels were accounted for by Ohtani.

Injuries to Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon were some of the reasons for that. They only played 94 games together.

Ohtani is a unique athlete. He was made the centerpiece of the All-Star Game in 2021. He hit leadoff for the American League in the All-Star game and started the game as a pitcher.

In October, Ohtani received the Historic Achievement Award. He was the first person to receive the award, which was created in 1998 and has not been given to another person in two years.

The value of Ohtani as a hitter had already been proven.

The Japanese star won the American League's rookies of the year award last year after he hit 22 homers and drove in 61 runs.

Ohtani couldn't pitch in 2019. In 106 games, he had a.286/.343/.500 slash line and 18 homers.

It's only because he set the bar so high that Ohtani isn't hitting at the same level. He has a.272/.358/.529 slash line with 34 homers, 94RBI and 11stolen bases.

With his performance on the mound, Ohtani is more than made up for with his diminished value as a hitter. He is firmly in the Cy Young race with a 2.35 earned run, 1.03 WHIP, and 213 strikeouts in 161 appearances.

Even though the Angels remain a mess, Ohtani's presence gives them a chance to compete for a playoff spot next season, and possibly buys them some time to work on a longer-term deal as well.