The destination candidates for Shohei Ohtani (29, LA Angels), considered the biggest player in the Major League Baseball (MLB) free agent (FA) market, have been narrowed down to a maximum of five teams.

ESPN reporter Jeff Passan predicted on the 1st (local time) that the competition to recruit Ohtani would soon conclude with an astronomical contract.

According to reporter Passan, four to five clubs are currently competing fiercely for Ohtani.

His original team, the LA Angels, LA Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Toronto Blue Jays, are still negotiating a contract with Ohtani. It is unclear what position the San Francisco Giants, who have long shown interest in Ohtani, are taking in these negotiations, but it is known that they have not yet withdrawn.

On the other hand, the 'World Series winning teams' Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and New York Mets withdrew from the competition to recruit Ohtani and shifted their targets to other players.

No matter which club he signs with, Ohtani is expected to receive the highest salary in Major League history.

Currently, the highest treatment in the major leagues is Mike Trout's $426.5 million (approximately 554.0235 billion won) contract with the Angels in 2019, and Ohtani is expected to sign a contract for at least $550 million (approximately 714.45 billion won). .

Reporter Passan quoted a source as saying, “Ohtani’s contract size could reach $600 million (about KRW 779.4 billion).”

Ohtani, who also doubles as a pitcher, entered the major league in 2018 and established himself as a top superstar. His career records include 88 games (481⅔ innings) as a pitcher, 38 wins, 19 losses, an ERA of 3.01, and 608 strikeouts. In 716 games as a batter, he had a batting average of 0.274, 681 hits, 171 home runs, 351 RBIs, 428 runs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.922.

This season, as a pitcher, he recorded 10 wins, 5 losses, an ERA of 3.14, and 167 strikeouts in 23 games, and as a batter, in 135 games, he recorded a batting average of 0.304, 151 hits, 44 home runs, 95 RBIs, 102 runs, and an OPS of 1.066. He took this as a stepping stone and unanimously won the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

Ohtani, who underwent elbow ligament fusion surgery, will not be able to pitch next year, but there appears to be no problem with his mega-contract. Reporter Passan pointed out, “Concerns that Ohtani’s surgery would affect his value have been proven to be completely unfounded (with fierce competition to recruit and a mega-contract).” 카지노사이트존