Shohei Ohtani open to extension with Angels, but has no guarantees he can repeat 2021

SEATTLE — Shohei Ohtani said the evident astir his intentions for the aboriginal — he’s unfastened to a caller woody with the Angels — and past helium conceded thing that suggests wherefore his aboriginal is truthful tricky.

It took him 4 years successful the large leagues to person a play similar this, erstwhile helium was steadfast and productive.

Referring to his durability much than his production, Ohtani said determination are nary guarantees.

“Obviously this was my archetypal clip doing it,” Ohtani said done his interpreter, “so I can’t archer you with assurance that I’ll beryllium capable to bash it for galore years to come, but each I tin bash arsenic a subordinate is to hole truthful I would beryllium capable to proceed this for galore years to come. In bid to bash that I request to person a bully offseason grooming omniscient and bully recovery.”

If Ohtani, 27, tin support doing this, helium could beryllium 1 of the highest paid players successful large league history.

It remains to beryllium seen whether the Angels volition unfastened those negotiations this winter. Ohtani is nether declaration for $5.5 cardinal successful 2022 and he’s arbitration-eligible successful 2023.

“Of people I’ll beryllium precise unfastened to negotiation,” Ohtani said. “The team’s supported maine for this full 4 years and I’m truly appreciative of that. Whether oregon not there’s immoderate agelong declaration extension, I conscionable privation to beryllium acceptable to execute adjacent season.”

It was nary astonishment that Ohtani is “open” to listening to the Angels offering him hundreds of millions of dollars to enactment successful Anaheim. Last week erstwhile Ohtani said that helium wants to win, galore fans and media interpreted that to beryllium immoderate benignant of menace to the Angels beforehand bureau to amended the roster oregon helium won’t re-sign.

The Angels evidently would similar to win, and portion of that is surely keeping Ohtani happy. However, figuring retired the dollar worth for a declaration hold for Ohtani is going to beryllium difficult.

There are nary comps for him, and adjacent Ohtani admitted that what helium did this twelvemonth mightiness beryllium hard to replicate, astatine slightest successful presumption of the volume.

Ohtani managed 23 starts and 130-1/3 inning connected the mound, and 634 sheet appearances heading into the last day. He seldom had days off. He did not spent a azygous time connected the injured list.

In his archetypal 3 years, helium suffered 2 pitching injuries. He besides dealt with a congenital genu information that required surgery, which whitethorn person affected his hitting.

Ohtani said his wellness was the superior crushed that helium was capable to yet scope his imaginable successful 2021. He had been rehabbing from surgeries successful the winters anterior to the 2019 and 2020 seasons, but past wintertime helium underwent a rigorous grooming regimen without being restricted by a rehab schedule.

He plans to bash that again.

“For the astir portion (the routine) is going to beryllium stay beauteous akin but I would similar to summation the workload connected my lifting, and I’m trying to get stronger and amended for adjacent year,” Ohtani said.

Aside from simply remaining strong, Ohtani said the country helium would similar to amended is successful his pitching. He had issues aboriginal successful the play with walks, though those were corrected by the end.

Ohtani finished with a 3.18 ERA, to spell with 10.8 strikeouts and 3.0 walks per 9 innings. He was 9-2.

“I deliberation there’s decidedly a batch of country to improve, particularly connected the pitching side,” Ohtani said. “Earlier successful the twelvemonth I was benignant of searching my mode through. I’m trying to get back, brushwood disconnected the rust. So I felt amended arsenic the play went on pitching-wise. I deliberation there’s a batch of country to amended connected the pitching side.”

Ohtani ne'er pitched connected a modular 4 days rest, and astir times it was connected 5 oregon six days rest. Asked if helium could summation the frequence adjacent year, Ohtani said “my program is to beryllium beardown and acceptable for immoderate the squad asks for.”

Offensively, Ohtani deed .257 with 45 homers, 99 RBI and a .959 OPS. He stole 26 bases.

Manager Joe Maddon figures that the champion mode to assistance Ohtani’s discourtesy is to support a bully lineup astir him truthful teams can’t locomotion him truthful much. Ohtani spent overmuch of this twelvemonth successful a lineup without injured Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon.

Ohtani said getting their injured players backmost volition beryllium a cardinal to improvement, but he’s besides anxious to spot what moves wide manager Perry Minasian volition make.

“I deliberation the biggest happening is the guys that we person close present we request to person an offseason truthful we tin enactment steadfast the full adjacent twelvemonth truthful we could compete,” Ohtani said. “And I’ll beryllium looking guardant to seeing each the additions that Perry is going to make.”