The Dodgers signing of Shohei Ohtani became a turning point in their franchise’s history, immediately paying off dividends in the process.
It began with the Dodgers rallying their way through injuries and underperformance to a World Series win over the Yankees, with the Dodgers’ globally recognized superstar finishing the year with his third career MVP award. With $680 million being deferred from Ohtani’s $700 million contract, the Dodgers were not only able to spend big money in free agency last offseason, but this offseason as well, indicated by the Blake Snell signing.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes about not only the financial impact Ohtani has made for both the Dodgers and for the future of Major League Baseball, but for the impact he’s made on a global level.
“I wanted organizations to understand and appreciate Shohei’s real value,” Nez Balelo, Ohtani’s agent, told USA TODAY Sports. “For teams to justify that amount of money to sign him, you have to really capitalize on the off-the-field opportunities, his ability to attract sponsors and brands. And there’s a whole frenzy of memorabilia and novelty items. You had to quantify that as value… Clearly, the Dodgers got it. The Dodgers (front office) from Mark Walter to Stan Kasten to Andrew Friedman to Lon Rosen, they understood me from Day 1. They understood the value. Look where it got them.”
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As it currently stands, the Dodgers’ outfield options on the 40-man roster include Tommy Edman, James Outman, Andy Pages, and Chris Taylor. If the Dodgers are unable to secure a long-term deal with a free agent outfielder, could they look to Ohtani to supplement their outfield depth?
Michael Baumann of FanGraphs suggests a case for Ohtani to play in center field despite the fact that he will be returning to the mound for the 2025 season.
The Dodgers and free agent outfielder Teoscar Hernández are reportedly nailing in the final details of a new contract, per David Vassegh of KLAC AM 570.
“My understanding talking to people around the league, they expect Teoscar Hernández to re-sign with the Dodgers… The Dodgers and Teoscar Hernández are very much engaged trying to nail the final details of a contract.”
Buster Olney of ESPN writes about the latest intel surrounding the current status of free agency, most importantly revealing a very intriguing detail surrounding Japanese star Roki Sasaki.
But there is widespread industry belief — correct or not — that Sasaki has probably already picked a team, and it’s most likely the Dodgers. All of these clubs will go through the process, however, and at the end, a lot of execs are going to complain that it was a waste of their time.