Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers makes him the highest-paid athlete in history, so he comes out ahead in this transaction, and the Dodgers just got the most talented player in the history of the sport, so they did, too. That leaves a lot of losers.
Breaking: Shohei Ohtani announced he is signing with the Dodgers pic.twitter.com/Oj5VAhuvjd
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 9, 2023
The Angels
It had seemed unlikely for some time that Ohtani would re-sign with the Angels. But now it’s official, and with it comes a moment of reckoning for a franchise that has been listless for a decade now. The Angels have not had a winning season since 2015. They currently face major questions about their pitching staff; questions about Mike Trout’s health, coming off the hamate injury that ended his season last year; and questions about what, if anything, they might see from Anthony Rendon, who has not played so much as 60 games in a season in four years in Anaheim. There is still talent here. (Last year’s first-round draft pick, Nolan Schanuel, was a particular bright spot—even on an unusually speedy and somewhat desperate promotion to the big leagues.) But the Angels have enjoyed plenty of talent in recent years and, well, you saw how all of those seasons turned out. Individual talent does not feel like much of a guarantee of collective success here. To that end: More pressing than all of the individual questions above are much broader questions about how they evaluate, coach and develop players and how they run the organization as a whole.
The Blue Jays
Twenty-four hours ago, around the time fans started tracking a private jet and checking in on large parties at local sushi restaurants, Torontonians really started to believe. Ohtani had reportedly visited the Blue Jays’ Dunedin, Fla., spring training facility earlier this week and admired the $100 million renovation. Team executives declined to comment on Toronto’s interest in him, while the Dodgers accidentally revealed that they’d met with him. Drake posted about him on Instagram. One erroneous report announced that he had indeed chosen the Blue Jays. Ohtani’s presence would have immediately vaulted the Jays from also-ran—they’ve made the playoffs in three of the last four years but been swept out each time—to contender. Ohtani would have cost a lot, but many executives believe his contract will pay for itself in marketing and sponsorships, and for Canada’s only team, it makes sense to invest in a once-in-a-lifetime player. It even began to seem like this was a sign that Toronto would seek extensions with first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and shortstop Bo Bichette, and lock this core up for the long term.
Then the plane landed, and businessman and Shark Tank star Robert Herjavec stepped out. It only got worse from there. Toronto’s rotation remains quietly elite, but the lineup lacks an impact hitter. And Guerrero and Bichette can depart after 2025. The Orioles have become one of the best teams in the sport, the Rays seem able to excel under any circumstances, the Yankees just got Juan Soto and the Red Sox’ prospects are scheduled to start arriving any minute. The Blue Jays’ offseason just got a lot more complicated.
The Cubs
The biggest off-season question for the Cubs is now whether they can re-sign Cody Bellinger. After coming to the North Side on a pillow contract last year, Bellinger became a pillar of this offense and posted a 133 OPS+, his best season at the plate since he won MVP in 2019. That kind of production will be hard to replace in a free agent market that’s otherwise relatively light on bats. A top-end starter would be much appreciated here, too. If they can fulfill those needs, there’s a lot to like about the Cubs, who have a vaunted new manager in Craig Counsell and a strong farm system. But that’s a load-bearing “if.”
The Giants
A Logan Webb follow on Instagram may be valuable, it turns out, but not that valuable. The Giants will now have to figure out how to address their biggest need right now—starting pitching depth. Beyond staff ace NL Cy Young finalist Webb, there are a whole lot of question marks here. Anthony DeSclafani and Ross Stripling are both coming off injury-compromised seasons in which each failed to hit 100 IP. And in terms of established options … that’s it! (Alex Cobb will miss at least the first month of the season after undergoing hip surgery this winter.) The Giants also have rookies Kyle Harrison and Keaton Winn—both got a taste of the majors last season but preserved rookie eligibility—but they’ll need several more options to weather a full season. This isn’t a matter of adding just one more starter. They’d be best off getting a few. And while they’re in the business of stocking up on talent? Another outfield bat wouldn’t hurt, either.
The Padres
If you had told us 10 years ago that the Padres might have been in the running for Ohtani, we would have been shocked. (We would also have been shocked that there was a player who was hitting and pitching successfully in MLB.) But if you told us last year, after San Diego locked in $864 million in commitments, that the Padres would sit this out entirely, that would have surprised us, too. But in the last 12 months, San Diego lost its TV deal and its beloved owner Peter Seidler, who encouraged the spending, died. In September, the team reportedly took out a $50 million loan to help cover payroll. This week, the Padres traded 25-year-old future Hall of Fame leftfielder Juan Soto, who is due to make some $33 million in arbitration this year, likely ending their contention push. And then their division rival got Ohtani. It’s been a tough stretch in San Diego.
More MLB Coverage:
Tom Verducci: Dodgers' Decade-Long Pursuit of Shohei Ohtani Finally Comes Through
