BASE-BALL

[Big John]

 Ohtani signs a 10-year $700 million contract. 

[tmoore952]

I heard this an hour ago, still trying to process my feelings.

Happy for Ohtani, he gets to stay on the West Coast which is where I thought he always wanted to be.

But this blows up the free agent market like no other deal has.

[Alps]

Ohtani signs a 10-year $700 million contract. 

Yeah, that's a couple hundred million too high for any reason. Sure he's a huge name right now, but the injuries are a factor and I can't help but think this is an all-time historic bust.

[dlsterner]

Ohtani signs a 10-year $700 million contract. 

Yeah, that's a couple hundred million too high for any reason. Sure he's a huge name right now, but the injuries are a factor and I can't help but think this is an all-time historic bust.

Even though I feel the Dodgers won't get $700M of on-field value out of Ohtani, that will be offset by what the team should recoup in licensing fees for merchandise sale.  You know there's going to be a ton of Ohtani Dodger jerseys sold.

[Takumi]

Ohtani signs a 10-year $700 million contract. 

Yeah, that's a couple hundred million too high for any reason. Sure he's a huge name right now, but the injuries are a factor and I can't help but think this is an all-time historic bust.

Even though I feel the Dodgers won't get $700M of on-field value out of Ohtani, that will be offset by what the team should recoup in licensing fees for merchandise sale.  You know there's going to be a ton of Ohtani Dodger jerseys sold.

About an hour after it was announced, the Dodgers team store sent out a sign-up list for when Ohtani merchandise becomes available.

It's noteworthy that the Dodgers haven't officially announced the deal yet; they don't have the space on their 40-man roster yet.

[Hunty2022]

Ohtani signs a 10-year $700 million contract. 

LA Dodgers just won the 2024 World Series.

[74/171FAN]

Ohtani signs a 10-year $700 million contract. 

LA Dodgers just won the 2024 World Series.

However, he will not even pitch in 2024.

[brad2971]

Ohtani signs a 10-year $700 million contract. 

LA Dodgers just won the 2024 World Series.

Not as long as "Playoff Kershaw" is a factor.

[tmoore952]

Ohtani signs a 10-year $700 million contract. 

LA Dodgers just won the 2024 World Series.

Not as long as "Playoff Kershaw" is a factor.

After thinking about this:
As a fan of a smaller market (or maybe the better term is "non-juggernaut") team, I can only hope the Dodgers don't see success with this model. And while I said in a previous post that I am happy for Ohtani, that was more on a personal level (he seemed to always prefer the West Coast). I can't in good faith wish him success on the field.

[Flint1979]

Ohtani signs a 10-year $700 million contract. 

LA Dodgers just won the 2024 World Series.

Sounds like what Bryce Harper said right after the Nationals signed Max Scherzer. Nothing is guaranteed.

[Flint1979]

Ohtani signs a 10-year $700 million contract. 

LA Dodgers just won the 2024 World Series.

Not as long as "Playoff Kershaw" is a factor.

After thinking about this:
As a fan of a smaller market (or maybe the better term is "non-juggernaut") team, I can only hope the Dodgers don't see success with this model. And while I said in a previous post that I am happy for Ohtani, that was more on a personal level (he seemed to always prefer the West Coast). I can't in good faith wish him success on the field.

Me either. I'd love to see the Dodgers miss the playoffs. To me they are worse than the Yankees ever were now.

[Alps]

Ohtani signs a 10-year $700 million contract. 

Yeah, that's a couple hundred million too high for any reason. Sure he's a huge name right now, but the injuries are a factor and I can't help but think this is an all-time historic bust.

Even though I feel the Dodgers won't get $700M of on-field value out of Ohtani, that will be offset by what the team should recoup in licensing fees for merchandise sale.  You know there's going to be a ton of Ohtani Dodger jerseys sold.

You can look at Jeter for that. $240 million at the time was huge and he was not one of the top 10 players in baseball, but he was consistently good and a favorite around here, and we ALL knew that he made up the extra money in other merchandise because he is so beloved in the NYC area. I don't see it working quite as well for Ohtani.

[Takumi]

Ohtani signs a 10-year $700 million contract. 

LA Dodgers just won the 2024 World Series.

Not as long as "Playoff Kershaw" is a factor.

Kersh may not even pitch next year. He had shoulder surgery last month and hopes to return in the summer, but setbacks happen. The Orioles' John Means didn't return from TJS until September this year instead of the originally planned July because he pulled a back muscle in May. (I went to a AA game in Richmond in August and Means was on rehab assignment. He didn't pitch that day, but he was in the dugout. I did see Cedric Mullins and Jackson Holliday, though.)

[Takumi]

The Ohtani signing is official.
https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1734395865425719641/mediaViewer?currentTweet=1734395865425719641&currentTweetUser=Dodgers

[Henry]

Ohtani signs a 10-year $700 million contract. 

LA Dodgers just won the 2024 World Series.

Not as long as "Playoff Kershaw" is a factor.

After thinking about this:
As a fan of a smaller market (or maybe the better term is "non-juggernaut") team, I can only hope the Dodgers don't see success with this model. And while I said in a previous post that I am happy for Ohtani, that was more on a personal level (he seemed to always prefer the West Coast). I can't in good faith wish him success on the field.

Me either. I'd love to see the Dodgers miss the playoffs. To me they are worse than the Yankees ever were now.

There's no denying that Ohtani is one of the greatest talents the game has ever seen, but in my view, he is not worth $700 million. One player does not a team make, and it's going to take a lot more than a double-threat to contend for a championship. Look at Michael Jordan: How many championships did he win before Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson came along? (A big, fat donut hole!)

The Dodgers can go bankrupt for all I care, and let's just leave it at that.

[NWI_Irish96]

When a handful of teams can spend more on one player than other teams spend on an entire roster, the system is horribly broken. I've always wondered why the majority of teams who are set up for failure don't force changes, but then that would risk giving up the huge profits they get on the backs of the richest teams.

[tmoore952]

The Dodgers can go bankrupt for all I care, and let's just leave it at that.

I share your sentiment completely (never been a Dodgers fan, this dates back to 1977 NLCS). However, it's been reported that most of the Ohtani money is deferred to about 10 or 20 years from now. This won't bankrupt them in the short term.

In the short term (2024), they need pitching, badly. Ohtani out, Kershaw (who knows), Tyler Glastnow who they signed yesterday hasn't pitched that many innings in any single year.

[Alps]

The Dodgers can go bankrupt for all I care, and let's just leave it at that.

I share your sentiment completely (never been a Dodgers fan, this dates back to 1977 NLCS). However, it's been reported that most of the Ohtani money is deferred to about 10 or 20 years from now. This won't bankrupt them in the short term.

In the short term (2024), they need pitching, badly. Ohtani out, Kershaw (who knows), Tyler Glastnow who they signed yesterday hasn't pitched that many innings in any single year.

The Mets have enough of a rep for the Bonilla deal. This is many, many times that.

[dlsterner]

The Dodgers can go bankrupt for all I care, and let's just leave it at that.

I share your sentiment completely (never been a Dodgers fan, this dates back to 1977 NLCS). However, it's been reported that most of the Ohtani money is deferred to about 10 or 20 years from now. This won't bankrupt them in the short term.

In the short term (2024), they need pitching, badly. Ohtani out, Kershaw (who knows), Tyler Glastnow who they signed yesterday hasn't pitched that many innings in any single year.

The Mets have enough of a rep for the Bonilla deal. This is many, many times that.

Oddly enough, the annual payments to Bobby Bonilla will end just as the Shohei Ohtani payments begin.  Replace "Bobby Bonilla Day" with "Shohei Ohtani Day" I suppose.

[triplemultiplex]

I figured he'd end up on the west coast Yankees (in terms of throwing cash around, not necessarily in winning all the time.)

[Takumi]

And now Yoshinobu Yamamoto is also joining them.

[triplemultiplex]

Must be pretty nice to have a billion dollars to spend on two players.

[Henry]

Apparently, the Japanese love the Dodgers, which goes all the way back to Hideo Nomo from three decades ago. First they sign Ohtani, and now they get Yamamoto.

[Flint1979]

I hope the Dodgers miss the playoffs every year. I'll support the Diamondbacks in that division.

[GreenLanternCorps]

Some Hot Stove baseball history, Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees, and the Polo Grounds, home of the New York Giants.