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Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards
here's another aspect nobody seems to be talking about. How much does this cost Ohtani in Free Agency? Does it increases his odds of staying with the Angels? Will other teams try and talk him out of pitching?
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I think the recovery time before being able to pitch again after a second Tommy John surgery is longer than after the first one so the earliest he would be ready to pitch would be 2025. I would think he could hit before then but would probably miss at least the start of 2024 and then just be a DH for whatever part of the season he did play. It will definitely be interesting to see how much teams are willing to guarantee with so much uncertainty about when and what he will be able to contribute. If he doesn't pitch, it would seem like he could still end up with contract offers around what Aaron Judge got from the Yankees or given the uncertainty, does he have to take a short term deal then become a free agent again once he shows what he can still do?