SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The race to add two-way baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani in a blockbuster free agency deal is off to a clandestine start.
“Special player, that’s all I’ll say,” said Chris Young, general manager of the World Series champion Texas Rangers.
“We’re going to be interested in looking at everything that’s available that can make us better,” New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.
“We may ask some questions, but I can’t tell you we’re diving all in,” Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said.
All 30 Major League Baseball general managers have gathered this week at baseball’s GM meetings in Scottsdale. Privately, they’re surely discussing the developing Ohtani sweepstakes, which could cost the winning team upward of $500 million. But publicly, questions about the potentially historic bidding have been met with careful statements.
Even the team that employed the Japanese sensation the past six seasons — the Los Angeles Angels — doesn’t seem to have a good read on his future.
“There’s going to be a lot of attention on it and I understand why,” Angels GM Perry Minasian said. “Great player. We’ll see how the offseason develops. We’ve got our plan and we’re going to try to execute that plan and see where it leads us.”
Ohtani is one of the most fascinating cases for baseball’s free agency system since it began in 1976.
He’s 29 years old and just produced one of the best two-way seasons in MLB history, batting .304 with 44 homers and also having a 10-5 record with a 3.14 ERA.
It’s unclear how much value he’ll provide as a pitcher in the coming seasons. He had Tommy John surgery in September for the second time in six years, and the list of pitchers who have successfully returned after having the procedure done twice is fairly short.
Recent World Series winner Nathan Eovaldi, Jameson Taillon and Daniel Hudson are a handful who have had success. Two-time All-Star Jason Isringhausen had the surgery three times and still came back to have a few more solid seasons. Current Dodgers star Walker Buehler — who recently had his second TJ surgery — hopes to join that group.
Even if Ohtani can’t contribute much on the mound, he’s one of the game’s elite hitters. He’s also a good enough athlete that he could be an option for first base or the outfield as he gets older.
ANGELS: The Los Angeles Angels hired Ron Washington to be their new manager.
The 71-year-old Washington becomes the oldest current manager. He led the Texas Rangers from 2007-14, winning two AL pennants and going 664–611. He spent the past seven seasons as Atlanta’s third-base coach, helping the Braves to their 2021 World Series title.
Washington replaced Phil Nevin, who wasn’t re-signed last month after 1 1/2 losing seasons in charge of the long-struggling Angels. Los Angeles is mired in stretches of eight consecutive losing seasons and nine straight non-playoff seasons, both the longest streaks in the majors.
PHILLIES: Preston Mattingly was promoted to the Philadelphia Phillies’ assistant general manager for player development.
A son of former New York Yankees great and current Toronto Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly, Preston Mattingly was hired by the Phillies in September 2021 to run the club’s player development system. Mattingly spent five seasons with the San Diego Padres as coordinator of major league advance scouting and game planning after working as manager of scouting for three years.
• The Philadelphia Phillies have decided two-time Most Valuable Player Bryce Harper is the team’s first baseman of the future, which means the franchise also is moving on from slugger Rhys Hoskins who is a free agent.
METS: Pitcher David Peterson is projected to miss the start of next season following surgery to repair a torn labrum in left hip.
New York said Peterson had the operation on Monday at the Hospital for Special Surgery. The team did not say why he waited more than a month after the season ended to have the procedure.
The Mets said a typical return to play is six to seven months, a timeline that would have Peterson return in May or June.
AWARDS: Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll and Baltimore Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson were selected rookies of the year by Baseball Digest and eBay.
Each player was a unanimous choice after receiving all 11 first-place votes in his respective league from a panel of baseball writers and broadcasters. Results were announced by the publication.
The speedy Carroll won the National League award after batting .285 with 25 home runs, 76 RBI and an .868 OPS for the NL champion Diamondbacks. He was successful on 54 of 59 stolen base attempts and scored 116 runs. After signing a $111 million, eight-year contract in March, Carroll also led the league with 10 triples and made his first All-Star team.
New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga finished second.
Henderson took the American League honor after hitting .255 with 28 homers, 82 RBI and an .814 OPS for the AL East champion Orioles. He scored 100 runs and split time defensively at third base and shortstop.
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee and Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas tied for second.
Carroll and Henderson are both among the three finalists in their respective leagues for the Rookie of the Year awards to be announced Monday by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.