Shohei Ohtani is going to be a very rich man in a matter of weeks.
He is one of the best players in MLB history, and definitely the most prominent in today’s game.
His offensive and pitching excellence will land him a historic contract.
According to the latest reports, the total amount of the deal will exceed $500 million.
Shohei Ohtani’s contract is gonna be crazy. pic.twitter.com/FC0c32xykX
— theScore (@theScore) December 1, 2023
ESPN’s Jeff Passan states it will be “well beyond” $500 million, so the final amount could potentially flirt with $550 or even $600 million.
It’s life-changing money for him and a myriad of people in his family and team.
What do people think about this report?
Well, let’s look at some of the reactions on Twitter.
Some people are not surprised by the amount and actually expect it to be higher:
not surprised at all…
— Dee (@DeeSports07) December 1, 2023
If he doesn’t get around 700 over 12-15 years I’ll be surprised
— mattmagoo23 (@mattmagoo23) December 1, 2023
Others consider the amount outrageous and doubt that the signing team will have enough financial flexibility left to consistently build a competitive team around him:
So basically ur saying he’s going to cripple any chance of them building a good team around him? Sweet
— x (@beam3rboyy) December 1, 2023
Team/franchise killing contract.
— Brian M (@briski715) December 1, 2023
If he goes with a team with a strong farm system in addition to having a good present roster, there could be a good core around him to dominate the league for some time.
The Atlanta Braves, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Chicago Cubs are potential fits in this regard.
Of course, some of the replies and reactions to the news were intended as humor:
So no chance Oakland/Vegas gets him?
— Will Soares-Laplante (@LaplanteSoares) December 1, 2023
— Naughty-A (@Naughty2585) December 1, 2023
In any case, this is another reminder about the money that MLB, as an industry, moves around and generates.
All teams (not most of them, all) have the ability to pay $500 million for a player.
Most of them just choose not to, which is fine as long as they spend elsewhere to make the team competitive.
The post Fans React To Latest Shohei Ohtani News appeared first on The Cold Wire.