If Shohei Ohtani leaves AL, he runs MVP race vs. Yankees Aaron Judge
Robert Zeglinski
May 31, 2023 10:05 am ET
As long as both stay healthy and continue to mash dinger after dinger, the race for AL MVP will probably almost always come down to the Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani and the New York Yankees Aaron Judge.
The two are arguably the best players in baseball and unquestionably the best in their league. If not for a successful Roger Maris home run chase by Judge last season, were probably talking about Ohtani as a two-time reigning AL MVP. Yes, thats how good this battle is. Judge had to hit 62 home runs just to unseat the Angels king from his throne.
And one-third of a way through this season, weve once again probably got exactly what we shouldve expected in regards to the MVP
Oddsmakers with BetMGM have Ohtani as the -130 favorite to take home his second AL MVP award in three years. And Judge, at +600 after a slow start by his standards, is just behind him.
Isnt this so fun, watching two titans of the game unofficially trade shot for shot in their budding Hall of Fame careers for one trophy?
Unfortunately (for us, anyway), this AL MVP battle between Ohtani and Judge might not go on forever. In fact, Ohtani, as an unrestricted free agent in 2024, seems unlikely to stay with the Angels. Given L.A.s current and usual struggles, they might even offload him at the trade deadline.
All this to say, if a trade or free agent contract is signed with an NL team, then this Ohtani vs. Judge MVP duel comes to an end. At least until a potential World Series in the future. And, from a summer sports-watching perspective, thatd just be a shame to miss out on. But I get it.
You cant keep stars like Ohtani from making the best possible career decision.
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Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 2:05 pm