If the season ended today, los angeles angels Will miss the playoffs for the ninth straight season.This includes all six seasons since signing Shohei Ohtani
The two-way superstar will be a free agent at the end of the season, and while he hasn’t shared his thoughts on his long-term future, Ohtani said ahead of the All-Star game in Seattle that he’s eager to play with a winning club that grows every year. “Get stronger”.
Ohtani, 29, was asked Monday whether making the playoffs had become a bigger priority as he charted his future.
“This feeling gets stronger every year,” Otani said through a translator, Ippei Mizuhara. “Losing sucks. He wants to win, so he gets stronger every year.”
If Ohtani hits the open market, he is expected to earn a record contract.
this AngelThe MVP, who went 45-46 into the All-Star Game, may also decide to trade the 2021 American League MVP before the Aug. 1 deadline for a return.Ohtani is finishing the second year of a two-year, $8.5 million deal he signed ahead of the 2021 season to avoid arbitration
“Obviously all the trading stuff, he’s out of his control, so he’s trying not to think about it and just focus on the game that day,” Suwon representative Ohtani said. “That’s the hardest part of trying to win ball games every day.”
Ohtani leads the league in home runs (32), triples (six) and slugging percentage at halftime (.663), while hitting a career-high .302. On the mound, he’s pitching with a 3.32 ERA, a tad better than his career mark of 3.04, but he’s averaging 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings (123 strikeouts, 100 1/3 innings).
Ohtani could get a $500 million or more contract and have teams chase him like Peyton Manning and LeBron James did in free agency.
“I’ve never been a free agent before, so I’m not sure what to expect,” Ohtani said. “Like I said before, I’m focused on this season right now. I just want to do my best this year, try to get as many wins as I can, give my best.”
New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga was asked on Monday what their “sell” was to Ohtani. Moriga overlaps with Ohtani in professional baseball in Japan and has represented Japan in national competitions with Ohtani.
“I’m going to put this hat on him right now,” Senga joked through a translator.
Ohtani, for his part, won’t reveal which players at the All-Star Game are recruiting him.
“I thought I’d keep it a secret,” he said.
— On-site media