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@DodgersNation
| Sports Writer
@Newsweek
| Editor at Sports Illustrated FanNation | Graduate of USC | James Worthy told me I have nice eyes
Shohei Ohtani gifted Ashley Kelly (Joe Kelly’s wife) a new porsche.
Ashley started the
#Ohtake17
campaign to try to convince Ohtani to join the Dodgers, saying Joe will give up his jersey number for him.
Ohtani is now a Dodger, and Ashley got a new porsche. What a moment.
Shohei Ohtani has:
- Deferred all but $2 million of his annual salary so the Dodgers could spend and build a winner
- Helped recruit Tyler Glasnow to LA
- Helped recruit Yoshinobu Yamamoto to LA
This man has single-handedly helped the Dodgers become the premier team in baseball
J.D. Martinez deserves an appreciation post.
He was everything the Dodgers could have asked for and more as a stopgap DH.
He revitalized his career in LA, slashing .271/.321/.572 with 33 HRs and 103 RBIs. He also hit LA's only playoff HR.
He'll make a team very happy next year
The Dodgers’ starting rotation in 2025 will now look as follows:
1. Shohei Ohtani
2. Yoshinobu Yamamoto
3. Tyler Glasnow
4. Bobby Miller
It doesn’t even matter who No. 5 is, that is as good as it gets.
The Dodgers gave Julio Urias a second chance back in 2019. They won't (and shouldn't) give him a third chance.
We've officially seen Urias' last pitch ever for the Dodgers organization. And his entire career could be in jeopardy, too.
Zero tolerance for what he did.
The Padres are the first team since 2015 to eliminate the Dodgers from the postseason and not win the World Series:
2021: Braves in NLCS
2020: Dodgers won
2019: Nationals in NLDS
2018: Red Sox in WS
2017: Astros in WS
2016: Cubs in NLCS
A weird streak finally comes to an end.
The Dodgers need to start building Shohei Ohtani’s statue yesterday.
This man is the best player in baseball and will be getting $2 million per season over the next 10 years so the Dodgers can build a perennial winner
We knew he didn’t care about the money but wow. He’s special
Dodgers projected 2024 lineup:
1. Mookie Betts, 2B
2. Shohei Ohtani, DH
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
4. Will Smith, C
5. Max Muncy, 3B
6. Teoscar Hernandez, LF
7. James Outman, CF
8. Manuel Margot/Jason Heyward, RF
9. Gavin Lux, SS
Chris Taylor is the utility man off the bench.
For the next 10 years the Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani.
For the next 9 years the Dodgers have Mookie Betts.
For the next 12 years the Dodgers have Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto posted two pictures of himself alongside Shohei Ohtani on his Instagram story.
Safe to say these guys are very happy to be teammates on the Dodgers.
Clayton Kershaw on Shohei Ohtani:
"I don't remember him even being this good in Anaheim... I don't remember him ever being on this kind of tear. This is unbelievable. Every ball that he hits, he's just so strong. I don't get it. I don't think anybody does. He's just amazing."
Shohei Ohtani just made this announcement on Instagram:
“Not only have I began a new chapter in my career with the Dodgers but I also have began a new life with someone from my Native country of Japan who is very special to me and I wanted everyone to know I am now married.
Clayton Kershaw was drafted by the Dodgers in 2006. He debuted in 2008.
He made his first All-Star team and won his first Cy Young with LA in 2011.
He won his first MVP with LA in 2014.
He won his first World Series with LA in 2020.
The forever Dodger is back for Year 17.
Dodgers’ 2023 NLDS:
Game 1: Injured Clayton Kershaw
Game 2: Rookie Bobby Miller
Game 3: Lance Lynn
Potential 2024 Postseason:
Game 1: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Game 2: Tyler Glasnow
Game 3: Walker Buehler
Game 4: Bobby Miller
An incredible turnaround from LA fixing their No. 1 issue
When Yoshinobu Yamamoto got back to the dugout after this little incident, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Shohei Ohtani had some simple words for him:
"You know, we play three outs here in the major leagues."
He also told Yamamoto his performance was "so-so."
Shohei Ohtani so far this offseason:
-Deferred all but $2M of his annual salary to build a consistent winner
-Sent Tyler Glasnow a recruitment video
-Actively recruiting Yoshinobu Yamamoto to LA
Ohtani is truly doing anything and everything he can to make the Dodgers better.
The Dodgers have made the postseason 11 straight years, including 10 NL West titles.
They have won 100+ games in five of the last six 162-game seasons.
They just added the two best players on the free agent market, including the best player in baseball.
What an offseason.
Kiké Hernández is a free agent at the end of this year and he's done more than enough this postseason to warrant a return to the Dodgers.
The Dodgers need to prioritize more players like him — guys who actually show up in October.
He's 3-for-7 with two clutch RBIs this NLDS.
Andrew Friedman deserves all the apologies from all the Dodger fans who doubted him.
He just secured the greatest free agent of all time, and paid the largest contract in sports history to do it.
The Dodgers want to win, and they put every single dollar where their mouth is.
The Dodgers completely sat out of the 2022-23 offseason. Their largest free agent signing was Noah Syndergaard.
They were laser-focused on this offseason, and didn't miss:
Shohei Ohtani
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Tyler Glasnow (trade & extension)
Manuel Margot (trade)
Teoscar Hernandez
Dodgers starting pitchers in this four-game series against the Cardinals:
Tyler Glasnow: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Bobby Miller: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K
Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Gavin Stone: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Combined ERA: 1.64
That'll play.
Shohei Ohtani sent a video to Tyler Glasnow trying to woo him to Los Angeles, per
@FabianArdaya
.
In the video, Ohtani said he wished he could share a rotation with Glasnow next year, but added "I want to hit some home runs for you."
Glasnow is now with the Dodgers. Amazing.
Sources: As the Dodgers worked this week to finalize a trade to land Tyler Glasnow, they got an assist from their newest player, with Shohei Ohtani telling the right-hander he’d “hit some home runs for you.”
Story with
@Ken_Rosenthal
:
Yoshinobu Yamamoto on how Shohei Ohtani went about recruiting him to the Dodgers via
@MLBNetwork
:
"He was never really pushy about like, 'Hey come to the Dodgers.' He mentioned over and over again, 'Wherever you end up, I’m going to support you, I’m going to be rooting you on.'"
Justin Turner came to the Dodgers as a struggling baseball player just trying to stay in the MLB.
He left as a:
2x All-Star
2017 NLCS MVP
2022 Roberto Clemente Award Winner
2020 World Series Champion
The Dodgers are forever indebted to No. 10. Best of luck in Boston, JT.
Shohei Ohtani is insane.
He hits his second home run of the day, and is now 4-for-4. He hit it 110.6 mph and 464 feet.
He’s now hitting .364 this season with an OPS of 1.111. He’s unbelievable. Dodgers lead 5-1.
Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman went a combined 0-for-8 on Friday night.
The Dodgers offense still scored 6 runs and won 6-3.
How is anyone supposed to pitch to this team?
Per the Ippei Mizuhara complaint:
- He made approximately 19,000 wagers between Dec. 2021 and Jan. 2024, around 25 per day
- Bets ranged from $10 to $160,000, averaging $12,800
- He lost $182,935,206.68
- He won $142,256,769.74
- Net loss: $40,678,436.95
- No bets on baseball
“I wasn’t going to give it up to just anybody. If Shohei keeps performing, he’ll be a future Hall of Famer and I’ll be able to have my number retired. That’s the closest I’ll get to the Hall of Fame.”
Love this answer from Joe Kelly on why he gave up his No. 17 for Ohtani.
Bobby Miller's four career MLB starts:
5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K @ Braves
6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K vs. Nationals
6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K vs. Yankees
6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K @ Phillies.
His ERA is down to 0.78 on the year. The Dodgers rookie is unreal.
Monday: Gavin Lux’s first game at shortstop since tearing his ACL
Tuesday: Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers debut and Dodgers’ top three of lineup revealed
Wednesday: Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Dodgers debut
Very exciting week of Cactus League play coming up for the Dodgers.
If everyone is healthy, the Dodgers rotation could look something like this in September:
1. Yoshinobu Yamamoto
2. Tyler Glasnow
3. Walker Buehler
4. Clayton Kershaw
5. Bobby Miller
6. James Paxton
That is about as deep and dominant as a rotation gets.
Shohei Ohtani was a part of the Dodgers’ meeting with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, per
@FabianArdaya
.
Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman were a part of it, too.
It’s over.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s meeting with the Dodgers yesterday at Dodger Stadium featured star power that included Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman….and Shohei Ohtani, sources tell me and
@Ken_Rosenthal
.
Story:
The Dodgers had a rotation full of rookies and a rocky bullpen, took fliers on multiple aged veterans and lost Trea Turner, Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner.
The also just won 100 games for the third straight year.
What a season. Dave Roberts deserves Manager of the Year.
Dodgers trade deadline additions on Sunday Night Baseball against the Padres:
Lance Lynn: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Amed Rosario: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI
Kikè Hernàndez: 3-5, 2 2B, RBI
Andrew Friedman is a bad man.
Just want to put it out there that Dave Roberts managed an incredible game.
He pulled all the right levers and single-handedly kept the Dodgers in this game. He and the bullpen did everything they could.
The Dodgers' offense has failed them for the second straight postseason.
The Angels had a tribute video for Shohei Ohtani in his return to Anaheim.
The game was paused for a little over a minute.
He got a loud cheer and thanked the fans.
Here’s the video:
Dodgers catcher Will Smith was beat out by Braves Sean Murphy for the starting All-Star spot in the NL.
Murphy has been great, but Smith deserved to finally get the recognition.
He should make it as a reserve, but the disrespect continues for one of baseball's best catchers.
Shohei Ohtani just roped an RBI triple that almost went out. His updated stats this spring for the Dodgers:
4-for-6, home run, triple, two singles, four RBIs, two walks.
He’s unbelievable.
Tyler Glasnow spoke to
@DMAC_LA
about Clayton Kershaw potentially returning to the Dodgers:
"It would be amazing... The guidance he could provide for Yamamoto (and) me. Just picking his brain. He’s done it for so long at such a high level, it would be a win-win-win all around."
The Dodgers really got Teoscar Hernandez and only had to give him a one-year deal.
The Dodgers got their lefty killer who can also play against right-handed pitching.
What a dream offseason. This team is beyond loaded.
BREAKING: Outfielder Teoscar Hernández and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a one-year, $23.5 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Hernández joins Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow on the new-look Dodgers, who add another All-Star bat to the lineup.
The Dodgers just had a statement series against the Braves.
The Dodgers swept Atlanta, and outscored them 20-6 across the three games.
Dodgers starting pitchers allowed 4 ER in 19.2 IP (1.83 ERA).
Shohei Ohtani went 8-for-12 (.667) with 3 HRs. Teoscar Hernàndez homered twice.
Shohei Ohtani is playing out of this world.
He's now 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home run on Monday. It's his third home run of the season for the Dodgers.
He's now hitting .352 with a 1.075 OPS on the season. He's 11-for-his-last-21. This is just an unbelievable stretch.
The Dodgers traded for Lance Lynn with a 6.47 ERA and instantly turned him into his former All-Star self. He's now made four starts for LA:
7 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
What a steal of an acquisition
Shohei Ohtani going to the Dodgers is the best thing for Major League Baseball.
The Dodgers have won 10 NL West titles in the last 11 years.
They are a perennial winner and contender.
They now have the face of the league.
This is so good for the sport of baseball.
Shohei Ohtani just had his Dodger Stadium moment.
He hits a walk-off RBI single and the Dodgers beat the Reds 3-2 and take the four-game series three games to one.
It's Ohtani's first walk-off as a Dodger and the second of his career.
The Dodgers are now 32-17.
Just a reminder that the 2019 NBA offseason saw three teams build superteams.
Lakers paired Anthony Davis with LeBron.
Clippers got Kawhi and Paul George.
Nets signed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving (and later got James Harden).
Only one of those teams has won a championship.
Shohei Ohtani against his current Angels teammate Mike Trout and future Dodgers teammates Mookie Betts and Will Smith in the WBC final. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Randy Arozarena just posted this on his Instagram.
He was my No. 1 target for the Dodgers after Shohei Ohtani.
I know they need pitching, but they also need Randy Arozarena and his 1.104 postseason OPS.
Last year the Dodgers lost Game 3 of the NLDS 1-0 and went down 2-1 in the series to the division rival Giants.
They came back to win Game 4 in dominant fashion (7-2), and closed the series out in Game 5.
They’ve been here before. They can do it again.
Lakers: 17 NBA championships, 1 In-Season Tournament championship
Celtics: 17 NBA championships, 0 In-Season Tournament championships
Really makes you think.
Dodgers offseason recap:
Signed Shohei Ohtani to 10-year, $700 million deal
Signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto to 12-year, $325 million deal
Traded for Tyler Glasnow and signed him to five-year, $136.5 million extension
Traded for Manuel Margot
Re-signed Jason Heyward and Joe Kelly
Some Dodgers core players and when they hit free agency.
Shohei Ohtani: 2034
Mookie Betts: 2033
Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 2036 (opt outs)
Freddie Freeman: 2028
Tyler Glasnow: 2029
James Outman: 2029
Bobby Miller: 2030
Emmet Sheehan: 2030
This team will be a problem for a long time.
Shohei Ohtani is officially a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the statement, he said his goal is “to bring World Series parades to the streets of Los Angeles.”
With the contract he took, he’s putting the Dodgers in the best position to do just that.
Welcome to LA, Shohei.
The Padres were just swept by the Rockies in San Diego. Colorado entered the series 12-28.
The Padres went 3-for-22 with RISP in the three-game series.
Padres' record vs. Dodgers this season: 5-3
Padres' record vs. rest of MLB: 17-21
Mookie Betts was right.
Shohei Ohtani said the Dodgers' ownership group looked at the last 10 years as a "failure" even though they made the playoffs every year and won one World Series.
Ohtani said those high expectations and desire to win are some of the reasons he ultimately chose the Dodgers.
When people ask why Mookie Betts deserves to be NL MVP this year...
Not only does he have an OPS of .939, and not only does he have 27 HRs and 68 RBIs, but he's playing right field, second base and shortstop, and making game-changing outfield assists. The Dodgers star is insane.
Shohei Ohtani got booed in Toronto. He responded by hitting a home run in his first at-bat.
Note to the fans of the 28 other teams: Don't boo Ohtani.
Dodgers now lead 1-0 and Ohtani is hitting .364 with a 1.124 OPS on the year. He's so good.
The Dodgers decided to make their two superstars happy this offseason by signing their close friends.
J.D. Martinez (for Mookie Betts) and Jason Heyward (for Freddie Freeman) have turned into the biggest steals of the offseason.
Martinez has a .870 OPS. Heyward has a .817 OPS.
Dave Roberts on the
@dpshow
:
Dodgers are “absolutely” having Shohei Ohtani recruit Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
“They do have a good relationship. So hopefully everything lines up and it would be quite the offseason.“
Roberts said LA hosted him and thinks they did a “really good job.”
Tyler Glasnow is 30 years old and was set to enter free agency in 2025.
Instead, the Dodgers trade for him with the contingency that he signs an extension, effectively replacing Ryan Pepiot.
Tyler Glasnow
Walker Buehler
Bobby Miller
Emmet Sheehan
This is progress.
The Dodgers are “expected” to hire former All-Star outfielder and fan favorite Matt Kemp in an advisory role, per
@BNightengale
His longtime teammate, Andre Ethier, was at DodgerFest and has been at spring training working with Miguel Vargas, who’s wearing Kemp’s No. 27 jersey.
Sign Shohei Ohtani
Sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Trade for Dylan Cease
Trade for Randy Arozarena
The Dodgers have the money and prospects to feasibly make all these things happen this offseason.
It’s amazing Kobe Bryant did this for the Dodgers.
And it’s especially noteworthy that Shohei Ohtani called the video “one of the highlights of the whole meeting.”
Kobe is and forever will be LA’s superstar and made sure the city will always be spoiled with the very best talent
During their pitch to Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers had an ace in the hole.
"One of the highlights of the whole meeting," Ohtani said.
It was a 6-year-old video of Kobe Bryant encouraging him to join the Dodgers.
At ESPN+, inside the Ohtani sweepstakes:
Freddie Freeman is hitting .341 with 22 HRs, 76 RBIs, 40 doubles, 14 stolen bases and an OPS of 1.016 for the Dodgers.
You wouldn't even have those numbers in a video game.
He's the best player in the National League and on the best contract in baseball at 6 years, $162 million
The Dodgers are "keeping the door open" for a potential Clayton Kershaw return and "hope he decides to finish his career as a Dodger," per
@JimBowdenGM
Kershaw underwent surgery this offseason and won't be back until "some point next summer," according to his announcement.
It's time to end the Noah Syndergaard experiment.
Bobby Miller is ready. Julio Urias returns on Sunday. Michael Grove looks good.
The rotation is set. Syndergaard cannot make another start for the Dodgers.
This report says the Dodgers want Roki Sasaki "no matter what" and "already plan to acquire (him)."
They have been scouting him since high school, similar to their pursuit of Ohtani.
Sasaki reportedly wants to be posted to MLB after the 2024 season.
He's just 22 years old.
Jason Heyward hit 1 home run in 151 plate appearances with the Cubs last season.
Jason Heyward has now hit 2 home runs in 8 plate appearances with the Dodgers this season.
There needs to be a 30 for 30 done on the Dodgers lab at this point it's just insane.
For the first time in Shohei Ohtani's career, he has multiple hits in five straight games.
He hits his second double of the night, and is now hitting .340 with an OPS of 1.002 this year for the Dodgers.
He's officially on a tear.
Jon Heyman is reporting that the Dodgers are still in on Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Reports have said he could get a $300 million contract.
Would the Dodgers really shell out $1 billion to get the two best free agents of the offseason and two of the best potentially ever?
Count me in.
Yes, the Dodgers are still interested in and can still afford Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Uncertain though, how the Ohtani signing may affect their chances, pro or con. The three perceived favorites: 1. Mets 2. Yankees 3. Dodgers
Lance Lynn came to the Dodgers with a 6.47 ERA.
His three starts for LA:
7 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER (1 R), 1 BB, 9 K
His ERA with the Dodgers is 2.00. What an incredible addition he’s been to the LA rotation.
Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani have both been working out at Dodger Stadium all offseason long. Lux on Ohtani to
@SportsNetLA
:
"He’s just a freak of nature, man. You get up next to him, he’s huge. We did the force plates yesterday and he’s like the best jumper in the organization."
Shohei Ohtani's last 11 at-bats:
RBI Single
Out
Home Run
RBI Single
Out
Single
2-Run Home Run
Single
Single
Home Run
2-Run Home Run
That's 9-for-11 (.818) with 4 HRs and 8 RBIs. It's good for a 2.727 OPS. The Dodgers superstar is unbelievable.
Shohei Ohtani’s home run was 118.7 mph off his bat and went 450 feet. That is absolutely demolished. His updated stats this season through 25 games:
.364 AVG
.430 OBP
.677 SLG
6 HR
14 RBI
11 2B
1.107 OPS
He has been even better than advertised in his first year with the Dodgers
Shohei Ohtani’s third spring training game is officially done. He went 3-for-3 with two singles, a triple and two RBIs.
Ohtani’s updated spring stats for the Dodgers:
.714 AVG
.778 OBP
1.429 SLG
2.206 OPS
1 HR
1 Triple
3 Singles
5 RBIs
2 BBs
1 K
Andrew Friedman signed the greatest player in baseball history to the greatest contract in baseball history while also getting himself the greatest job security of any president of baseball operations in baseball.
Major respect.
Shohei Ohtani can opt out of his $700 million Dodgers deal if controlling owner Mark Walter or president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman lose their roles with the team, an AP source says.
My favorite part about Shohei Ohtani's statement and post on Instagram:
"I apologize for taking so long to come to a decision."
Ohtani is truly as special as they come in every sense of the word, and I can't wait to see him bring World Series to the Dodgers for the next decade.
Shohei Ohtani said he believes he’s not ahead of schedule, but right on schedule in his recovery.
He says he has more than enough time to get ready for Opening Day.
He’s counting his live at-bats towards the 50 minimum he spoke about with Dave Roberts.
Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers and Guggenheim Baseball are making donations to support those affected by the earthquake in Japan.
“In the name of those lost to the earthquake in central Japan and in collaboration with the Dodgers, I am making a donation in aid of the survivors.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto told
@kirsten_watson
that he spoke to Yu Darvish before being posted.
Darvish told him to "make sure you pick somewhere that you truly feels wants you."
Yamamoto said every team gave off that passion, but in the end, the Dodgers were the "right place to be."