The $500 million man no more? Shohei Ohtani left his start in Game 1 of Wednesday’s Angels doubleheader with arm discomfort, and an MRI shows a tear in his UCL that will shut him down from pitching the remainder of the season.
Ohtani already had one Tommy John surgery back in 2018 and did not pitch in 2019 or 2020 (although he did DH), so it’s possible he could do the same this year if needed and still be an asset to his team in 2024 and beyond – but how much of his value diminishes if he’s a one-way player, especially if it’s a DH-only batter?
Jerry Recco posited that maybe the Mets or Yankees might be in on a shorter-term deal as a hitter only because of this, where they try to sell him on New York and then sign him to a longer, bigger deal if and when he can pitch again, but Gio wasn’t so sure.
“I think this makes it LESS likely they’re in on him at all,” Gregg said. “Especially with the way these two teams have finished this year and need a different look next season…for a team to go in on a guy who is going to be solely a DH for the next two years, it would have to be a team where one bat is a missing piece.”
The Mets are not that, says Gio, and while they could’ve been in on Ohtani as the two-way player, their rotation looks like the big mystery in ’24 and beyond. Maybe the Yankees, though?
“I can give you a strong case the Yankees’ pitching can reload next year and look good, but their offense has been the problem this year,” Gio said. “They’ve been putrid with or without Judge.”
Great, but the Yankees already have a most-of-the-time DH, whose sole position in the field happens to be the same one as the reigning AL MVP, which is why Jerry doesn’t agree.
“The glaring omission for the Mets has been the DH – they’ve been totally devoid of one,” Jerry said.
Related
And once again, all complicated by the fact that a unicorn may have just had his horn cut off, and is now just a horse, albeit a thoroughbred in the hitting respect.
“Time will tell, but this has gotten to a complex situation if you’re a GM that was planning on bidding for Ohtani,” Jerry said. “That first bid that comes in that’s not the Angels, if you’re one of the teams that was a leader in the clubhouse to make an offer, who wants to be the first one? What are you bidding for? Just a DH, or a guy who will be a DH for one year and will return to pitch at 31 or 32? Do you go short-term, or try to blow him out of the water on a long-term deal that you know will be a good business decision elsewhere?”
“And, do you get a team that looks at Ohtani like the Nets looked at Kevin Durant, but more attractive because he can at least still hit?” Gio replied. “The Nets wanted a culture change and to go for it, and were willing to bring in a rehabbing Durant to get a healthy KD and make a run. Maybe there’s a team that says we can get Ohtani rehabbing but still get him hitting, and then we just get him!”
Jerry was the one who advocated teams trying to trade for Ohtani, even if it took the farm, just to try to sell Ohtani on that team and city for his free agency. That never happened, and now, is it a double-whammy for the Angels and a boost for anyone who thought about that deal?
QUOTE
Listen to Gio & Jerry’s full conversation on Ohtani above!
Follow WFAN's morning team on Twitter: @7BOOMERESIASON, @GioWFAN, @Alsboringtweets, @JerryRecco, and @WFANMornings
Listen live to WFAN on the Audacy App or Online Stream
Follow WFAN on Social Media:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch