Shohei Ohtani UCL injury: Baseball future ‘changed completely’ ahead of free agency

Two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani has left it all on the field this season for the Los Angeles Angels. Now, it might be costing him as he left a game against the Cincinnati Reds due to a torn UCL.

This is the second time that Ohtani has suffered a UCL tear. The first time was five seasons ago and it forced Ohtani to get Tommy John surgery. As he prepares for free agency following this season, it’s an injury that could potentially cost him tens of millions of dollars. Other estimates, however, suggest he could lose even more than that.

Recently, ESPN estimated that on the low end, Shohei Ohtani would get a $303.5 million contract. On the high end, it was thought that he could make as much as $624 million because he is two players in one. However, that same article estimated his true value was a 12-year and $789.7 million contract.

ESPN wasn’t alone in that estimation. Orange County Register business writer Jonathan Lansner suggested he would make $700 million. Others feel that $500 million was a more likely outcome. For comparison, the Yankees paid Aaron Judge $360 million after he broke the AL home run record.

Unfortunately, much of that money is in jeopardy now. Buster Olney put the injury into context moving forward. Because of this, there is no way of knowing how much he will be able to pitch in the future, which significantly changes both his value and how much a team can rely on him.

“The context for Shohei Ohtani’s baseball future has changed completely,” Olney tweeted. “There’s just no way to know how much he’ll pitch in the years ahead — and it may be that the pitching side of his forthcoming contract will need to include incentives based on starts/appearances.”

There are still going to be teams interested in Ohtani. However, several may not want him pitching because of what he brings to the plate. Others may not think he will be healthy enough to pitch. Either way, it is going to have a massive financial impact on him.

According to the Angels, Shohei Ohtani will undergo further testing on his elbow. It’s being reported that Ohtani won’t pitch again this season due to the torn UCL. However, he has not yet made a decision on whether or not to get surgery.

Shohei Ohtani was Los Angeles’ starting pitcher in that game against Cincinnati. He started strong on the mound and hit an MLB-leading 44th home run on the season before his elbow forced him to leave the game early. He played in the second game of the double-header.

For MLB, Shohei Ohtani has been a unicorn of a player. Nobody has done the things that he has done since Babe Ruth. Hopefully, he won’t have to give up pitching thanks to this UCL tear.