The Texas Rangers, who won their first World Series title since their founding in 1961 with a series of free agent signings, are looking to make another bold move to build a historic batting lineup.
In a series of articles titled “Three moves Texas should make this offseason,” CBS Sports called for Ohtani to be the first.레모나토토 주소
This year, Texas won its first World Series title in 62 years, breaking a streak of irrelevance. With that roster still intact, Texas is likely to challenge for the big prize again in 2024. That’s a plus for Ohtani, who wants to win. “Ohtani cites winning as a key motivator in choosing his next destination, and Texas can point to their recent World Series trophy as proof of their capabilities,” CBS Sports reported. “For Texas, there’s no better way to keep fans enthusiastic after reaching the end goal (winning a World Series) than by signing one of the most popular baseball players in the world (Ohtani).” The two sides saw a win-win situation.
There was also an opening at the top of the order. Mitch Garber, who started at designated hitter this year, is a free agent, leaving Texas in need of an offensive boost. In 87 games this year, Garber hit .270 with 19 home runs, 50 RBIs, 45 runs scored, and an OPS of .870, second only to Seager on the team. There are other options to fill that void, including 14-homer Ezequiel Duran, 10-homer Robbie Grossman, and scary rookie Evan Carter, but there’s no better option than Ohtani.
Despite a season-ending torn UCL in his right elbow this year, Ohtani batted .304 with 44 home runs, 95 RBI, 102 runs scored, 20 doubles, a .412 on-base percentage, a .654 slugging percentage, and a 1.066 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) in 135 games as a hitter, and won his second unanimous American League MVP award since 2021 after going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings as a pitcher. This is the first time a player has ever won the MVP award unanimously in both major leagues, and as such, he is expected to receive a mega-contract worth at least $500 million (approximately KRW 65.3 billion) despite the fact that he will not pitch in the 2024 season.
Shohei Ohtani poses with his dog after winning the MVP award on Sunday. /Photo=LA Angels official social media accounts
While $500 million is a lot of money to spend, Texas has a history of making big free agent signings, so it will be interesting to see if they make another bold move. The keystone duo of second baseman Marcus Semien and shortstop Corey Seager, the “$500 million duo” acquired two years ago, spearheaded their World Series victory.
Ahead of the 2022 season, Texas inked the duo to mega-free agent contracts a day apart, signing Seamian to a seven-year, $175 million deal and Seager to a 10-year, $325 million deal. In the regular season this year, Simeon played in all 162 games, batting .276 with 29 home runs, 100 RBIs, 122 runs scored, and an OPS of .826, while Seager batted .327 with 33 home runs, 96 RBIs, 88 runs scored, and a 1.013 OPS in 119 games, leading Texas to the postseason. In the World Series alone, Seager showed what it means to get your money’s worth, batting .286 (6-for-21) with three homers, six RBIs and a 1.137 OPS in five games to become the first bi-league World Series MVP.
According to CBS Sports, “Ohtani will likely receive the largest contract in major league history. But Texas has shown once again that it’s willing to pay the price for superstars.” “Adding a best-in-class power hitter like Ohtani to an already ruthless lineup with Seager, Simeon, Adolis Garcia and Carter could give Texas one of the most dominant offenses of all time in 2024, without exaggeration.”
Garcia is an outfielder who batted .245 with 39 home runs, 107 RBIs, 108 runs scored and an OPS of .836 in 148 regular-season games this year. In the American League (AL) Championship Series (CS) against the Houston Astros, he hit .357 with five home runs, 15 RBIs and a 1.293 OPS in seven games and was named ALCS MVP. Add Ohtani, who has already hit 40 home runs, to the top lineup of Simeon, Seager, and Garcia, who have combined for 101 regular-season home runs, and you have the makings of an unprecedented $1 billion (KRW 1.306 trillion) cleanup. What’s more, the bottom of the order is also double-digit home run hitters, so Texas, which already finished tied for third in team home runs in 2023 (233), will have no resting spots in the batting order for opposing teams.
Ohtani’s inability to pitch in 2024 isn’t much of a drawback for Texas, as the timing of the deal fits like a cog in a wheel. Max Scherzer and Andrew Heaney, two of the mainstays of the current starting rotation, are set to hit free agency after the 2024 season, so Ohtani will be able to pitch in their absence.
The only thing holding him back is a weak mound. In addition to the Ohtani signing, CBS Sports noted bullpen reinforcements and the return of Jordan Montgomery, who was supposed to be the “fall ace. With Jacob deGrom, who was expected to be the ace, not returning until next August due to elbow surgery, the starting spot is open.
However, as CBS Sports notes, “The battle for Ohtani will be fierce, with teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox having plausible proposals. But unlike them, Texas has all the necessary pieces in place. Therefore, they should go all-in on the pursuit of Ohtani.”