With 10 weeks to go until the 2023 season ends and free agency begins, Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani entered a doubleheader Wednesday against the Reds as the most highly sought after player in MLB history. He sustained a UCL injury on the mound in the top of the second inning, casting doubt on what once seemed to be a certain future.
The Angels announced the injury shortly after the doubleheader, and though it is still unknown if Ohtani requires surgery, he will not pitch again this season. The star two-way player underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018. He will continue to contribute for Los Angeles as a designated hitter and outfielder as the team continues to fight an uphill battle to the playoffs.
Ohtani’s injury does not only derail his own future, but also that of the sport itself. For the better part of three seasons, he has competed at the highest levels of baseball as both a pitcher and hitter, something no one has ever done in the modern era. If not for Aaron Judge’s record-breaking 62-home run season in 2022, it’s likely that Ohtani would have won back-to-back AL MVP awards with another on the way in 2023.
Entering the last year of his contract with the Angels, free agency talks around the star began last offseason and have only intensified since. At first, insiders claimed that he would get at least $500 million. Ohtani led Japan to a win in the World Baseball Classic and began the MLB season with an ERA below 2.50. The prospective number rose to $600 million.
By the end of July, a month in which he hit 15 home runs and catapulted Los Angeles back into the playoff race, it was widely accepted that the winning team in free agency would need $700 million to secure the most versatile player in the history of the sport. But that versatility is now being called into question, and with a single setback, it’s likely that hundreds of millions of dollars just evaporated in an instant.
Even if Ohtani never pitches again, he will still likely demand a massive contract as one of MLB’s best sluggers. But with an arm injury lingering into the offseason, he may have to make a difficult decision between surgery and giving up pitching for good. The latter option is one many speculated he would have to make at some point anyway, but it could not have come at a worse time. Teams will now be more inclined to pay for his bat alone.
As Ohtani’s final contracted season with the Angels winds down, the team is 10.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot. It would have been nearly impossible for him to push the team into the postseason anyway, but his final month with the team will be quieter than it could have been. Baseball fans around the country, many of whom have been transfixed by Ohtani’s phenomenal ability, will likely grow quieter too. For now, and perhaps for the foreseeable future, the greatest show on the diamond is over.
