There are decisions that usually change the course of history. One of them was Shohei Ohtani’s free agency signing in December 2023. That winter, the Japanese player listened to proposals from multiple organizations, until he finally opted for a ten-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, closing the door on options to join the Giants, Blue Jays, Angels or Cubs.
Those were the finalists in a voracious race to acquire the services of the stellar two-way player, capable of shining as an MVP from the offensive rectangle and dominating as a Cy Young from the mound. It has been almost two years since that dispute that is still fresh in the memory of multiple baseball analysts in the United States, who followed step by step the whole process.
One of them is Francys Romero, an MLB insider with extensive experience in international signings in Major League Baseball. According to him, the wait for Ohtani’s decision acted as a kind of blockage in the market.
“Everything was absolutely at a standstill, with no deals, waiting to see what would happen with Ohtani and then with Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Many teams were already looking at their more realistic signing options, but until these two agreed, the market would not start to move,” the Cuban specialist told MARCA.
One of the organizations that pushed hardest for Ohtani was Toronto, who now appear in the Japanese’s path as his rival in the World Series. The Canadian franchise had already made a strong investment in George Springer and had given all the prominence to Vladimir Guerrero Jr, the biggest prospect in their farms, but they needed to round out their constellation.
Ohtani was the perfect fit, because he would give much more depth to an already strong lineup, and would be the perfect centerpiece for a rotation that included the arms of Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt.
Blue Jays competed for Ohtani, made their approach and even offered around $700 million
“Logically, the Blue Jays competed for Ohtani, made their approach and even offered about $700 million,” Romero recalls, who says that the weight of the Dodgers’ project and the Japanese’s willingness to stay on the West Coast definitely tipped the scales and eliminated Toronto from the equation.
“Ohtani did not go to Toronto because of geography and the immediate opportunity to win. I think those were the aspects that weighed most heavily in his decision. In Los Angeles, where he had already played with the Angels, he would be closer to Japan, in an organization with a higher level of development and with a closer opportunity to win,” said the specialist.
Repercussions
On December 11, 2023, Shohei Ohtani signed his contract with the Dodgers: ten seasons and $700 million. Then there was a chain reaction for the Los Angeles franchise.
Five days later, they acquired star right-hander Tyler Glasnow via trade, and two weeks later they also acquired Yoshinobu Yamamoto from the Orix Buffaloes in Japan. To complete their sequence of spectacular moves, in early January 2024 they signed Dominican outfielder Teoscar Hernandez.
These three men, along with Ohtani, were instrumental in the Dodgers’ triumphant run to the 2024 World Series, in which they swept the Yankees in five games.
Ohtani’s decision also served as a hook to attract the talented Roki Sasaki, another of the sensations of Japanese baseball who today has become one of the most reliable pitchers in the team’s bullpen
All of these names, along with Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Blake Snell and Max Muncy, to name just a few of the stars, have been stalwarts in the consolidation of a team built with aggression in the market, both in free agency and in trades.
In addition, they have given space to high-impact players such as Will Smith, Andy Pages and Emmet Sheehan, products of their development system from the Minor Leagues. With all these pieces, the franchise aims to become one of the most impressive dynasties in modern baseball in the United States.
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