What Shohei Ohtani’s Injury Means for Free Agency
Will The Injury Affect his Prospects?
Shohei Ohtani recently suffered a torn UCL, just two months before he gets to the free agency market. At first glance, an injury like that means that a team will not be able to use Ohtani. Even when you have the superstar playing through his injury now, as what you can see in the latest baseball news, it still means trouble.
But when you bet on baseball long enough, you know that injuries can be a temporary issue. And that if there is great value seen in a player, then it will still be worth the wait. What will happen to Ohtani, even if he will need to take time off for surgery and recovery?
Right now, Ohtani will not be seen in Los Angeles Angels games pitching for the remainder of the season. He has, after all a torn UCL in his right elbow. Try as he might to still play through the injury and the pain, we cannot expect him to perform at his usual pace.
Shohei Ohtani: Treatment and Free Agency
If needed, Ohtani will get what is called a Tommy John surgery, and will need around 12 months for the whole process, all the way to recovery. Historically, though, they do not play until the 14th month. So, if he does the surgery, we still will not see him in 2024. You will likely see the effects of this in baseball betting in your sportsbook.
Many experts believe that Ohtani can get at least $500 million this year when he negotiates for a contract. Right now, no one knows if the injury will impact that amount. But injury aside, he is still one of the best hitters in baseball. So he may be out for a year, but he can still deliver after he recovers.
Teams do take into consideration these risks with players. It would be highly unrealistic to assume that players will be 100% at their physical peak at all times. Given that Ohtani is quite a one-of-a-kind player in baseball now, the demand for him will remain as high as ever.
