The Los Angeles Dodgers is a club that has been constantly mentioned in relation to Shohei Ohtani this offseason. When Ohtani enters the free agent market at the end of this year, the Dodgers are expected to make the most aggressive courtship offensive.
LA Times reporter Dylan Hernandez sparked a fire on December 8 (Korean time) by writing an article titled, ‘The Dodgers’ strange offseason strategy solves the question only when they secure one giant player’. Reporter Hernandez argued that the reason the Dodgers manage their payroll in the offseason is not because of the luxury tax burden, but to secure the financial power to catch free agent Ohtani at the end of this year.
Here, reporter John Heyman of the New York Post presented a prospect in the same context.
On the 7th, Heyman analyzed the reason for the Dodgers’ sluggish move in this offseason in a column titled ‘The Dodgers are hiding in the pursuit of Shohei Ohtani’, and pointed out a high possibility of signing Ohtani, the biggest free agent player at the end of this year.
Reporter Heyman said, “The Dodgers are hoarding money to secure a much brighter target for the foreseeable future, and that is Shohei Ohtani, an incomparable pitching star who will become a free agent this winter.” There will definitely be Dodgers in the battleground where competition will be fierce for a superstar who may or may not emerge.”
The Dodgers did not actively move in the free agent market this time. All they did was bring starter Noah Syndergaard and designated hitter JD Martinez and re-sign Clayton Kershaw. On the other hand, they let internal free agents Trey Turner, Justin Turner, Tyler Anderson, and Andrew Heaney go, and shocked them by releasing 2019 MVP Cody Bellinger as a non-tender.
As a result, the Dodgers’ payroll is expected to be adjusted from last year’s $290 million to $230 million this year. You don’t have to pay luxury tax. In the end, the intention to reduce spending as much as possible is to secure the cost of purchasing Ohtani.
However, no matter how strong the Dodgers signal is, it is useless if Ohtani does not move his heart. 토토
Regarding this part, reporter Heyman said, ‘Five years ago, six of the final seven teams pointed out by Ohtani were from the West, and among them, the Dodgers were included. This is a plus for the Dodgers. In addition, the Dodgers showed the face of a championship candidate by raising the odds ratio that will remain in history for the past six years, and this is the decisive strength of the Dodgers. (The courtship of the Dodgers) Ohtani can’t resist and will understand.”
Reporter Hernandez wrote in the article last month, “Coach Hiroshi Sasaki, his teacher in high school, said that Ohtani would not sign a contract with the Dodgers or Yankees and would choose a team that had no ties to Japanese players.” However, reporter Heyman refuted this.
‘Rumor has it that Ohtani wanted to avoid the big city as much as possible, but people close to him say Ohtani’s tastes may have changed during his life in America. Los Angeles is the second largest market in the United States, so it can be a bit negative, but it has two big advantages.’
The two advantages that the Dodgers have are their championship history and abundant financial capabilities. .
