Ohtani Comes To America

It was going to be a challenge for Ohtani to start pitching again after taking last season off to recover from arm surgery, but that's what he thrives on. After coming back to the mound in mid-June, he slowly ramped up and ended up having a solid return. On the hitting side, he beat his home run record of last year by one and got to 55 this time. In the playoffs, he had a couple of particularly memorable games that will likely never be seen done again by anyone else. He played a key role in the Dodgers taking home another World Series championship this season and Ohtani once again won the MVP award.

Ohtani’s first regular season with the Dodgers was a massive success, despite all the drama of the offseason leading up to it. He became the first player to ever hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same reason, which would land him his third MVP award in four years. More importantly for Ohtani, it was the first time he got to be in the playoffs. The Dodgers went all the way, beating the New York Yankees in the World Series in five games. Ohtani, for the first time since coming to the MLB in 2018, is an MLB champion.

It’s been a crazy offseason for Ohtani this year. Signing his $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency wasn’t the end of it. Aside from normal Spring Training ramping back up after his procedure, some other developments came up. On the positive side, Ohtani announced he was newly married to Mamiko Tanaka, who has been a Japanese basketball player in recent years. On the negative side, a gambling scandal emerged around his former right hand man – interpreter Ippei Mizuhara – which Ippei involved Ohtani in by reportedly lying about knowledge and involvement to it. Jack and Kev talk about the latest developments with the marriage and Ippei, as well as giving a little preview to the Dodgers’ year ahead. Ohtani’s seventh MLB season has officially begun. Subscribe to our newsletter for more Ohtani updates: ⁠ohtanicomestoamerica.substack.com

Ohtani has reported to Spring Training and is beginning a new journey to prepare for the start of the 2024 season. While the Dodgers were always a top contender and obvious destination in free agency, what if Ohtani had chosen somewhere else? Kev and Jack look through specific lenses – the uniforms, locations, stadiums, and competitiveness – at the 29 other MLB teams in the league. Subscribe to our newsletter for more Ohtani updates: ohtanicomestoamerica.substack.com Thanks to the talented artist @247chr0 on Twitter for creating our new podcast cover artwork!

After getting the full breakdown on the $700 million contract that Ohtani signed with the Dodgers, perceptions around the deal shifted. While it was a 10-year contract to play for the team, $680 million of that will be deferred until after it finishes. For the next 10 years, Ohtani will make $2 million per year – which is the number that got headlines. However, for the Dodgers’ luxury tax purposes (aka how competitive they can be), Ohtani will still be measured against that as $46 million per year based on MLB’s system. Essentially, he’s still the highest value player in the league and does take up a lot of room on the team payroll. Jack and Kev talk about how this changes their opinion on the deal, the Dodgers’ press conference, Ohtani’s dog name reveal, and more. Subscribe to our Ohtani newsletter: ohtanicomestoamerica.substack.com