Plus in the AL, always have the option to DH him in his late 30's. Could still end up being productive like David Ortiz or Nelson Cruz as a DH in the last 4-5 years of his deal.
I'm not worried about the money TBH. He likely gets a similar contract as a FA, maybe with 1-2 less years. Otherwise, when you factor inflation like you said, $25-28M AAV won't seem that expensive.