MLB Futures Odds Suggest Shohei Ohtani Could Be On The Move

• Shohei Ohtani is favored with (-300) to neither get traded nor sign a contract extension this offseason.
• He has a (-7000) betting line to play with the Los Angeles Angels again next season.
• He is set to become an unrestricted free agent for the 2024 season.

LOS ANGELES – Shohei Ohtani is arguably the most intriguing baseball talent of all time. As the best two-way player since Babe Ruth, where he decides to go in free agency will have a major impact on the league.

Shohei Ohtani’s Destination Next Season

Shohei Ohtani has a .259 batting average to go along with 45 home runs and 99 RBIs. As a pitcher, he carries a 9-2 record with a 3.18 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Because of this, it’s not too surprising to find him at the top of the MVP odds boards at regulated sports betting sites.

A player who is in all likelihood going to win MVP, is top five in Cy Young odds, third in the league in home runs, and fifth in the MLB in OPS will surely receive interest from any and every team who can afford him. However, there are extra hoops to jump through to get Ohtani during the offseason, which is why the Los Angeles Angels are so heavily favored to retain him.

Ohtani is under contract with the Angels for the 2022 season, which means a trade would need to happen in order to see him in a new uniform next year. Even with the rumors of Ohtani wanting out of Los Angeles, there is simply no reason for the team to trade him during the offseason.

Ohtani’s Offseason Decision: Contract Extension?

With Ohtani already under contract for another year followed by one more year of arbitration, he has a big decision to make. From his standpoint, there’s not much he can do other than be on the Angels roster for the next two seasons but he could avoid arbitration in 2023 by signing a contract extension for the year that he’d be on the Angels anyways. However, MLB betting sites don’t anticipate that this will be the case.

Ohtani’s stock is going to be at an all-time high this offseason as the expected MVP could likely get the Angels to give him a big payday for the 2023 season. At the same time, he’s under no time restraint to make any sudden moves and could sign the extension at any point during the next season.

Rumors suggest that there are no extension talks between Ohtani and the organization, which is likely the reason behind the odds looking the way they do.

News tags: AL MVP | Los Angeles Angels | Los Angeles Dodgers | MLB | New York Yankees | Shohei Ohtani