The Los Angeles Angels and their two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani have agreed to a contract for the 2023 MLB season. The franchise announced over the weekend that the two parties settled on a one-year, $30 million contract and avoided arbitration.
2023 will be Ohtani’s final year of arbitration eligibility, after which he will become a free agent. The $30 million salary he will receive next season is the highest ever for an arbitration-eligible player. The 28-year-old is earning $5.5 million this year.
While the Angels had another disappointing season in 2022, Shohei Ohtani continued to produce at a high level. He currently has a 15-8 record with 2.35 ERA and 213 strikeouts as a pitcher while batting .276 with 34 home runs and 94 RBIs.
Thanks to these spectacular numbers, Ohtani is favored to repeat as AL MVP. If he manages to get the award, he will become only the 14th player in league history to win back-to-back Most Valuable Player honors.
It is unclear what the future holds for the Los Angeles Angels and Shohei Ohtani. While the Angels would probably hand out a blank check to Ohtani in order to keep him around, the player said on previous occasions that the chance to win would play an important role in his free agency.
Ohtani didn’t do much winning with the Angels since he arrived in town in 2018. During his five years with the franchise, the LA team never made the playoffs and never had a record above .500 at the end of the season.
