Agent hints Angels' Shohei Ohtani will explore free agency

The agent for Shohei Ohtani has suggested the Los Angeles Angels' two-way superstar will test free agency after the upcoming MLB season. 

Per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN, Nez Balelo told reporters Monday that he's "always been open" to negotiating a contract extension for Ohtani before Opening Day. 

However, Balelo added that the 28-year-old has "earned the right to play through the year, explore free agency, and we'll see where it shakes out." 

It's been speculated that Ohtani, who earned American League Most Valuable Player honors for the 2021 season, could receive $500M total if he hits the open market following the 2023 campaign. 

Earlier this month, a report indicated the Angels are highly unlikely to lock Ohtani down on an extension before he reaches free agency. 

To compare, 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge agreed to a nine-year, $360M deal to return to the New York Yankees this past December. Meanwhile, Ohtani declined last week to confirm or deny that he's committed to becoming a free agent once eligible. 

"Shohei's been here five years, now this is his final year," Balelo explained, "and now we have free agency, so, of course, there's gonna be a lot of questions — what does he wanna do, where's he gonna go, all of it. And I've said this so many times and Shohei has said it as well — we really take it day by day, one day at a time." 

As Rhett Bollinger noted for the MLB website, Ohtani became the first player in the World Series era to qualify for the leaderboards as both a pitcher and a hitter for the same season last year. 

He slashed .273/.356/.519 with 34 home runs and 95 RBI and also posted a 15-9 record as a starting pitcher with a 2.33 ERA and 219 strikeouts across 166 innings of work. 

It's believed the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, and Chicago Cubs are among the clubs at least somewhat preparing for an eventual Ohtani sweepstakes.