Shohei Ohtani, the Angels’ two-way star who is set to become a free agent after the season, began his lone 2023 regular-season trip to The Bronx on Tuesday night.
His manager with the Angels, Phil Nevin, isn’t looking too far ahead when it comes to Ohtani’s future, but he believes he’ll be successful no matter where he ends up.
“I don’t want to think about it,” Nevin said when asked how Ohtani might fare in a large market like New York. “He’s ours right now. He’s a great teammate and player. We’re lucky to have him and hopefully we have him for a long time.”
But the reality is Ohtani, who hit a two-run homer in the first inning in Tuesday night’s game, will be perhaps the most sought-after free agent in history if the Angels don’t sign him to an extension or a new contract after the season and he hits the open market.
On the heels of Aaron Judge landing a nine-year, $360 million deal to remain with the Yankees last offseason, the eventual number figures to be astronomical for Ohtani, who has proven himself to be among the best hitters and best pitchers in the game.
And though Anaheim isn’t far from Los Angeles, the Angels don’t typically merit the attention of big-market teams such as the Yankees, Mets or Dodgers.
Wherever he ends up — according to Nevin, who was on Yankees manager Aaron Boone’s coaching staff for four seasons from 2018-21, and Angels hitting coach Marcus Thames, another longtime coach in The Bronx — Ohtani would excel anywhere.
“The best way I could put it is that he would thrive anywhere,’’ Nevin said. “Even with the off-field stuff, the endorsements, he’d be fine. It’s not gonna bother him whether he’s in a big market or small market. Seeing him on the kind of stage like we expect to be on now wouldn’t affect him at all.”
Thames, in his first season with the Angels, agreed.
“I think he’d be fine,’’ Thames said. “I’ve been around a lot of guys, and he’d be OK. The way he carries himself, nothing bothers him. He’ll go about his business and just do his work.”
Though Ohtani has been a standout just about everywhere the Angels have played, that has not been the case at Yankee Stadium — either on the mound or at the plate.
Entering the series opener, Ohtani was just 5-for-41 (.139) with three homers, 13 strikeouts and an OPS of .661 in The Bronx. The only place he has had as many at-bats and hit as poorly is Seattle (.651 OPS).
And he has been even worse on the mound, though Ohtani isn’t scheduled to pitch during this series.
In two career starts at the Stadium, the right-hander has allowed 11 earned runs and three homers in just 3 ²/₃ innings (27.00 ERA). That’s compared to a 1.95 ERA in 34 career starts in Anaheim.
“He hasn’t pitched well here, and he hasn’t hit much, but it’s a small amount of games,’’ Nevin said of Ohtani, who has made two starts on the mound and 10 in the field in the The Bronx. “I’m not worried about it. His swing was made for here, with that lefty swing, he should be able to shoot liners out to right.”
What would be different for Ohtani if he signed with the Yankees or Mets — or any of several other teams in major media markets — is the fact that unlike with the Angels, where he typically only speaks after he pitches, he’d likely have to be more available.
But the 28-year-old has answered every challenge so far.