One of the biggest concerns in the major leagues right now is the final course of Shohei Ohtani (29, LA Angels). It has been mentioned that the Los Angeles Dodgers are the front runners in recruiting Ohtani.
MLB.com, the official homepage of Major League Baseball, announced on the 14th (Korean time) that the Los Angeles Dodgers are the front runners in recruiting Ohtani, and that they have wanted to recruit him for 10 years.
According to this, the Los Angeles Dodgers pursued the contract in 2012 when Ohtani was a senior in high school. However, at this time, the major league club only saw Ohtani as a pitcher.
In response, Ohtani signed a contract with the Nippon Ham Fighters of the Japanese professional baseball team to double as a pitcher, and based on this, he entered the major leagues.
This was a wise decision. Had Ohtani jumped into the major leagues after finishing high school, it would have been difficult for him to double as a pitcher.
Also, the Los Angeles Dodgers tried to recruit Ohtani again five years later, but there was one barrier. Ohtani wanted a designated hitter to double as a pitcher.
However, at that time, there was no designated hitter system in the National League, which the Los Angeles Dodgers belonged to. It appears that Ohtani signed a contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
Now, the National League has a designated hitter system. It is safe to say that all obstacles to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ acquisition of Ohtani have disappeared.
Also, the Los Angeles Dodgers could cut at least $67 million in payroll after this season. It is an opinion that this can be seen as a preparation process for Ohtani recruitment.
Ohtani is likely to sign with a West Coast club, a strong team that can continue to advance to the postseason. The only club that meets all of these criteria is the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In fact, in a recent survey of active major league players, the Los Angeles Dodgers was chosen as Ohtani’s next destination.바카라
Attention is focusing on whether the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have wanted Ohtani since high school, will be able to appoint Ohtani as a starting pitcher for the opening game of the 2024 season.
If the above becomes a reality, Ohtani will start the new season in Seoul on March 21, 2024.