Los Angeles – Two-way player Shohei Ohtani avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year, $8.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, the team said Monday.
The 26-year-old Japanese will receive $3 million this season and $5.5 million in 2022. He will be arbitration-eligible again in 2023 before he can enter free agency.
Ohtani made ¥270 million (about $2.6 million) with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan in 2017. He was posted by the Fighters to the Angels and signed at a bargain rate in the 2017 offseason.
Ohtani and won Rookie of the Year honours in 2018 after a dazzling debut season which saw him club 22 homers and 61 RBIs while posting a 3.31 ERA from the mound in 10 starts.
However he was forced to undergo surgery for an elbow injury at the end of 2018, leaving him unable to pitch in 2019.
His appearances at the plate were limited last season after a rocky return to the mound against the Oakland Athletics, where he gave up five runs without making an out. He threw just 1⅔ innings in 2020 due to a forearm strain.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
PHOTO GALLERY (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
KEYWORDS
Source : Baseball – The Japan Times