Shohei Ohtani Rumors: Elbow injury 'won't impact' star's free agency

It was a sad day in baseball when the Angels announced Shohei Ohtani tore his UCL and would be shut down for the rest of the season. It's his second major elbow injury in the last six years, having already gotten Tommy John surgery in 2018 for UCL damage.

As is the case for any star athlete hitting the market, Ohtani's injury lowers his ceiling and in turn, affects his future contract. The simple law of cause and effect is something every MLB analyst can agree on.

But just how much will Ohtani's financial future change?

ESPN's Jeff Passan said on The Rich Eisen Show that he believes Ohtani's injury won't impact his free agency appeal very much. Passan admits that yes, obviously, Ohtani is going to lose some money compared to where he was sitting before the injury, but by and large, his appeal has not diminished.

In fact, Ohtani's list of suitors may have grown even longer since teams that considered Ohtani out of their price range before may be taking another look at the ever-so-slightly discounted star.

Part of me wonders if there are going to be teams that get involved in the Ohtani sweepstakes because they feel like they're going to be able to get a good deal. Jeff Passan, ESPN

The two-way phenom was rumored to make as much as $600 million given his ability to play two positions, but his recent injury dims his star power just a tad.

Passan said Ohtani could still get a projected contract of $500 million in total value, easily eclipsing Aaron Judge's free agent–record $360 million deal from last offseason. Keep in mind Ohtani could go under the knife for his second Tommy John surgery, and he's still commanding a historic amount of money. Unbelievable.

Rich Eisen and Jeff Passan talked about how Ohtani's situation could parallel that of NBA star Kevin Durant, who blew out his Achilles ahead of free agency but still got his bag from the Brooklyn Nets. In some ways, a basketball player's Achilles could be considered the equivalent of a pitcher's elbow.

So what's next for Ohtani? In the short term, plans for surgery, if only to clarify his free agency outlook. In the long term, he could switch to relief pitching, as Passan suggests, since being a closer tends to put less stress on a player than being a starter.

Only Ohtani knows what his body's capable of, just like only he really knows where he wants to end up. Buckle in for an exciting free agency this winter.

Shohei Ohtani Rumors: Red Sox could be a sleeper team waiting to pounce in free agency

The Dodgers, with their prime West Coast location, and the Angels, with their convenient accommodations, are two of the favorites to sign Shohei Ohtani this winter.

A sleeper in the Ohtani sweepstakes isn't necessarily an out-of-the-blue candidate but a team in the race all along -- they've just camouflaged extremely well.

The Boston Red Sox haven't been tied to Ohtani as much as other franchises have this year, and that's working out just fine for them.

The Red Sox are not on the West Coast, and Ohtani has publicly said he wants to play on the West Coast. This fact has not changed.

But in the event Ohtani's West Coast bias is more of a casual preference (like, say, mayo on a burger) than a deal breaker, the Red Sox stand out as a potentially suitable match ready to lure Ohtani to the dark (er, East Coast) side.

FanSided's Cody Williams named the Red Sox as a club that's been in play for Ohtani all along this year. Even though Chaim Bloom has let fan-favorite stars like Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts walk, the Red Sox have a longstanding relationship with Japanese talent dating from Daisuke Matsusaka to Masataka Yoshida.

Bloom could be eyeing Ohtani as the best thing to happen to Boston since Tom Brady. Nay, Ohtani is even bigger than the G.O.A.T. himself at this point.

Shohei Ohtani Rumors: Padres can't afford the man...Or can they?

The NY Post's Jon Heyman gives the San Diego Padres the second-best odds to land Shohei Ohtani (7 to 1). This is despite an executive's claim that "there's no way [the Padres] can afford him."

Heyman asks a rhetorical question in return: "Did anyone think they could afford decade deals for Xander Bogaerts, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado (twice)?"

No, no one thought that. And as long as the Padres' Santa Claus of mega-contracts A.J. Preller is still general manager, San Diego has a decent shot at signing Ohtani (more so now after his unfortunate injury news).

Back when Ohtani first entered free agency in 2017, the Padres were one of six other teams blessed with an Ohtani visit. The Angels won out in the end, but best believe Preller is still out there at sea trying to reel in the Japanese albatross.

Why the down-bad Padres over the 80-win Dodgers this upcoming free agency?

As The Athletic's Dennis Lin puts it, the Dodgers can offer Ohtani what everyone believes he wants: "an environment conducive to perennial postseason play." But the Padres, they can give him something else altogether: "The Padres, under Seidler, have proven their willingness to spend vast sums of money and cater to star players who follow unique routines that can be disrupted by poor weather."

The "best" team doesn't always get the best player. The Padres aren't out on Ohtani until they say they are.