It finally happened. After weeks of speculation, two-way star Shohei Ohtani has a new team. Ohtani agreed to a record-breaking, 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
It’s the type of signing that drastically alters the circumstances for many teams around the sport. The Dodgers obviously stand to benefit most, while the other teams that had been in the running for Ohtani now have to readjust their strategies for the rest of this offseason and into the future.
The impact of Ohtani’s deal goes far beyond that, though. Every team, numerous players and countless baseball fans will also be affected by the move.
Here are the biggest winners and losers in the aftermath of Ohtani’s free agency.
WINNERS
Shohei Ohtani
Turns out, Ohtani is the player fans were promised back in 2018, and more. When healthy, he is the best player in the game, and that’s a title he’s likely to retain as long as he continues to hit and pitch at a high level. The fact that he’s an All-Star-caliber player in both aspects is what led to his mega-contract with the Dodgers. While the injury to his pitching elbow might’ve depressed his total earnings somewhat, this contract sets Ohtani — and future generations of Ohtanis — up for life and establishes a new standard for superstars in the sport.
Until another player like Ohtani comes along — if another player like Ohtani comes along — this deal could be tough to beat.
The Dodgers
The Dodgers seemed to have been saving up for Ohtani for at least the entire 2023 season, if not longer. They also seemed to be in the running for other top free agents, but Ohtani was certainly the focus of their offseason, and not landing him would’ve stung. With Ohtani, the Dodgers, who have already been World Series contenders for a solid decade, are likely to be viewed as the best team in baseball. They still need to add pitching to boost a rotation that struggled last season (and won’t have Ohtani on the mound until 2025), but the Dodgers won the biggest prize of 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 shift their attention to the other prominent free agents available. Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Cody Bellinger are among the players likely to benefit from this signing, as teams should move quickly to finalize deals with them now that the premier free agent is off the…