When Shohei Ohtani had an elbow injury late in the Los Angeles Angels’ 2023 season, he was sidelined for the entire month of September and missed the entire 2024 season. This set back Ohtani’s free agency experience.

Ohtani is still expected to draw a lot of interest, which is understandable, but there are legitimate worries about his pitching. They felt so genuine that many speculated that Ohtani may sign a short-term contract with the intention of signing a long-term one once he demonstrated he was well enough to throw.

In their most recent Q&A, Mark Feinsand and Jon Morosi of MLB.com both disregarded that possible deal arrangement.

According to MLB Insiders, Shohei Ohtani will not pursue a short-term agreement.

Given that he would be passing on some money this offseason, it makes some sense to think that Ohtani would be amenable to a short-term contract. He would likely have made a little more money if he had signed as a free agent this summer as opposed to last. But since the difference isn’t very significant and Ohtani still intends to break records with the contract he signs, it makes it natural that he will limit his consideration to long-term agreements for the time being.

Feinsand and Morosi both predict that Ohtani’s contract will include at least one opt-out and most likely several. Ohtani now has the option to opt-out and even pursue an even bigger contract if he is healthy enough. Additionally, if things became problematic, Ohtani would have the opportunity to leave the difficult situation he’s in and look for a new one.

Ohtani gets to have the best of all worlds by agreeing to a long-term contract with opt-outs. In addition to the certainty that comes with signing the biggest contract in baseball history, he has the option to back out and pursue other opportunities or higher compensation.

Because of the kind of player he is, Ohtani has earned the right to pursue the most advantageous contract. Seeing what contract Ohtani is able to work out this offseason will be interesting to watch.