It finally happened. After weeks of speculation, superstar duo Shohei Ohtani has a new team. Ohtani reportedly agreed to a record 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
It’s the kind of signing that radically changes circumstances for many teams in the sport. The Dodgers clearly stand to benefit the most, while other teams that were vying for Ohtani will now have to adjust their strategies for the rest of this season and into the future.
But the impact of the Ohtani deal goes beyond that. Every team, many players and countless baseball fans will also be affected by the move.
Here are the biggest winners and losers in the wake of Ohtani’s free agency.
Winners
Shohei Otani
Ohtani turns out to be the player fans were promised in 2018, and more. When healthy, he is the best player in the game, and that is a title he will likely hold as long as he continues to hit and pitch at a high level. The fact that he is an All-Star caliber player on both sides is what led to his huge contract with the Dodgers. While the injury to his elbow may have reduced his overall earnings somewhat, this contract sets Ohtani — and future generations of Ohtanis — for life and sets a new standard for superstars in the sport.
Until another player like Ohtani comes along — if Another player like Ohtani comes in – this could be a tough deal to beat.
Dodgers
It appears the Dodgers have been saving for Ohtani for at least the entire 2023 season, if not longer. They also appear to be competing for other top free agents, but Ohtani was certainly their focus this offseason, and landing him couldn’t have been a shock. With Ohtani, the Dodgers, already a World Series contender for a solid decade, would likely be viewed as the best team in baseball. They still need to add a pitcher to bolster a rotation that struggled last season (and they won’t have Ohtani on the mound until 2025), but the Dodgers have won the biggest prize this offseason with Saturday’s news.
Other big-name free agents
With Ohtani off the market, the dam is now broken, and teams, especially those that missed out on Ohtani, can turn their attention to the other notable free agents available. Among the players likely to benefit from this signing are Japanese players Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Cody Bellinger, as teams must move quickly to finalize deals with them now that the No. 1 free agent is off the board, and the overall cost of his contract could rise. Ohtani caused teams to raise their offers.
That’s generally the way it is in every sport: once a player sets a new standard, it raises the bar across the league. So, while no one else will get paid at Ohtani’s level of money, the free agents still available this winter could get a few extra million after his record payday.
The up and coming prospects are in two directions
Ohtani is often called a unicorn due to his rare ability to play both ways, but he is also a blueprint for future two-way players. His mega-deal proved that it can be incredibly lucrative for players to pursue both hitting and pitching on their way to the major leagues, although that is much easier said than done. Teams have tried to develop other dual players in recent years, but those experiments have mostly failed. However, teams now have six seasons of Ohtani’s schedule and workload to consider when trying to develop two-way stars, and given Ohtani’s value, there is an incentive for teams to find the next player who can do both. In fact, eight players selected in the 2023 MLB Draft are classified as two-way prospects. If they can maintain that status in the majors — and get paid accordingly — they’ll have Ohtani to thank.
The rest of the AL West
Players from the Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers rejoice! Otani has just left your department. You no longer have to hit ruined splitters that fall off the table or watch well-placed pitches get carried 450 feet to deep right field — at least, not very often. Granted, in recent years, scheduling changes have resulted in the division foes playing each other less often, so Ohtani’s departure for the AL West doesn’t have as big an impact on the division as it had in the past. However, Marcus Semien, who hit .200/.273/.200 in 22 games against Ohtani, is probably thrilled to see the two-way star headed elsewhere, and he’s likely not the only one who feels that way.
Nez Palilo
If your client signs the richest deal in the history of sports, you will emerge a winner in this exchange. The way Balilo secured this deal was unique. He and Ohtani set strict limits on the teams, threatening to remove them from consideration if they leaked anything regarding the meeting with Ohtani. Of course, there are bigger questions about whether it’s good for baseball for the sport’s most marketable star to completely shut down the rumor mill and dictate the terms of his free agency entirely, but those questions don’t matter to Palillo, who has shown his biggest money client.
Otani dog
With all those millions now in the bank account, Ohtani’s puppy should be in line for only the best gifts in the coming years. He also doesn’t have to leave warm, sunny Southern California. As an added bonus, maybe baseball fans will finally know his name.
Losers
Angels fans don’t need another reminder of their team’s failures, but here we are. The Ohtani era is officially over. Somehow, despite landing Ohtani on a very cheap contract as well as Mike Trout, it didn’t lead to any playoff appearances. The organization bears a fair amount of blame for that, as poor signings, failure to develop prospects, and a refusal to add elite talent kept the team below .500 in every season with Ohtani. To be fair, the club has also had some unexpected developments, with Anthony Rendon turning into a pumpkin shortly after he signed with the team and Trout becoming injury-prone in recent years. But even if we excuse some of the team’s mistakes, it’s inexcusable that the Angels couldn’t reach the postseason with not just one but two generational talents on the roster.
Mike Trout
For many years, Trout served as Ohtani’s deputy. The two combined to form one of the most fearsome duos in baseball. The Angels may have lost a lot of games 9-8 over the past six seasons, but they often scored those eight runs thanks to Ohtani and Trout. With Ohtani gone, the Angels have Trout and plenty of reasons to be depressed. No other player on the Angels roster is afraid of opponents, which could lead to Trout seeing a lot of intentional walks in 2024. And if Trout isn’t healthy…there’s little reason for fans to watch Angels games.
Ron Washington
After nearly a decade as coach, Ron Washington landed another managerial position this offseason. His first mission: turn around a team that has just lost the best player in baseball. Washington had a lot of success with the Texas Rangers during his first managerial stint, leading the team to a 664-611 record in eight seasons and winning two straight titles, although the Rangers lost in the World Series both times. Getting around the Angels, especially after losing Ohtani, is a whole different task. The team has never posted a winning record with a two-man superstar, and the leftovers won’t inspire much confidence. For Washington, bringing the Angels back into contention will not only be difficult; It would be, well, you know the line from “Moneyball.”
Rest of the NL West
Those on the Giants, Padres, Diamondbacks and Rockies rosters need to buckle up, as they now have front-row seats to the Shohei Ohtani show over the next 10 years – and not in a good way. All it takes is a quick look at Ohtani’s stats to know that it’s nearly impossible to plan against him as a hitter (44 home runs and 20 steals in 2023) and pitcher (3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts). And in a lineup that will feature a 1-2-3 punch of Mookie Betts, Ohtani and Freddie Freeman? Good luck to pitchers who have to deal with that multiple times a season.
Everyone is on social media on Friday
Ohtani’s craze reached its peak online on Friday, encompassing everything from fake news reports to tweets from opera singers to fans tracking private jets. In the end, those who followed did not have more (accurate) information than they did the day before.
Speaking of Friday, all of that speculation centered on the idea that Ohtani was signing with the Blue Jays, who were rumored to be among the top finalists for his services. It’s impossible to overstate the impact Ohtani would have had on the team’s offense and, ultimately, their pitching. With star players like George Springer, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Kevin Guzman, Toronto has consistently reached the playoffs in recent years, but has been unable to get past the first-round hurdle. Ohtani would have been the perfect addition to take the team to the next level. Instead, the Blue Jays are turning to Plan B.
Every other MLB team
Is it too dramatic to say that all other MLB teams are losers in the Ohtani sweepstakes? Perhaps, though, Ohtani would have radically changed the future of any franchise. But in reality, the losers here are Ohtani’s other rejected suitors, particularly the Cubs and Giants as well as the Blue Jays and Angels. For them, his decision marks the end of a long road of hope and efforts to convince Ohtani to join them. With Ohtani now out of the picture, the racers will also need to change their off-season strategies and come up with a new plan for 2024 and beyond.
The landscape of Major League Baseball has been significantly altered by the historic free agency period, with several players and teams emerging as winners and losers. A flurry of high-profile signings and trades has led to a shift in power dynamics across the league, with some teams significantly strengthening their rosters while others have been left scrambling to fill gaps. The unprecedented spending spree has created a new hierarchy within the MLB, leaving fans and analysts alike debating the impact of these moves on the upcoming season.