No healthy Ryu Hyun-jin…
The general consensus is that Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels) will cost less than expected in free agency in 2023-2024. While his price tag has dropped below $600 million since his pitching season ended in late August, many analysts believe that he could easily get $500 million next year even if he only pitches temporarily.
It’s interesting to note that Yahoo Sports ranked Ohtani as the No. 1 free agent starting pitcher for 2023-2024 on Thursday. Even though he won’t be on the mound right away, there’s a lot of faith that he’s not done. In fact, there hasn’t even been an official announcement that Ohtani won’t be pitching next year. It won’t be until his Tommy John surgery is confirmed that it will be official until the 2024 season.
Yahoo Sports listed Ohtani as the No. 1 starter, writing, “Unfortunately for teams looking for an immediate boost to their starting rotation. Ohtani will not pitch in 2024 due to Tommy John surgery. Nevertheless, he is unquestionably the best free agent available. He will sign a record-breaking contract.”
Yahoo Sports continued, “The Idoru phenom is coming off another historic season with the Los Angeles Angels, winning his second MVP award. Ohtani’s swoon will be the ‘No. 1’ storyline of the major league offseason.”
Yahoo Sports’ top 10 free agent starting pitchers for 2023-2024 are Blake Snell (San Diego Padres), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix Buffaloes), Sonny Gray (Minnesota Twins) and Aaron Nola (Philadelphia Phillies), Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers), Lucas Giolito (Cleveland Cavaliers), Jordan Montgomery (Texas Rangers), Jack Flaherty (Baltimore Orioles), and Michael Lorenzen (Philadelphia Phillies).
Yamamoto, who hasn’t even made his major league debut, is third on the list. The fact that he won four pitching titles and the Sawamura Award two years in a row, as well as being named MVP, is enough to recognize his immense value. The consensus is that he will easily sign a contract of at least $100 million. On the other hand, recently declared lefty Shota Imanaga (Yokohama DeNA Basestars) is not in the top 10. 온라인카지노
Ryu Hyun-jin, who came back in the second half of the season and went 3-3 with a 2.93 ERA in eight starts, is also not in the top 10. It’s a small sample size to make any kind of judgment, but there’s a lot of hope that he’ll be a decent fourth or fifth starter.