The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the most active team in free agency this offseason, both in significant financial commitments, and also addressing serious needs on their roster.
Signing Shohei Ohtani was a once-in-a-generation move that touches on a number of fronts performance-wise and from an organizational standpoint. Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 12-year contract provides the Dodgers with an immediate ace, and Tyler Glasnow’s trade and extension makes for arguably the best one-two punch at the top of a starting rotation.
The Dodgers committed more than $1 billion to the aforementioned players with the notion that the front office could still be in the market to add more.
In an appearance on Just Baseball, Walker Buehler discussed the current state of the Dodgers and what type of impact the signings Ohtani and Yamamoto will have on the franchise:
“I mean, it’s going to be exciting. It’s a special time to play baseball in L.A. I think one of the best things about L.A. is the kind of global reach. And I think if most people would have said, ‘What’s the best landing spot for those two guys,’ not from a fandom perspective or whatever, but just the familiarity and the kind of global effect, I think L.A. and New York are the two that you would have talked about. And they both chose here, and we’re really stoked about that.”
Ohtani and Yamamoto are attention-grabbing moves from a baseball standpoint, while they also add to the rich history the Dodgers have with Japanese baseball players that also includes Hideo Noma, Hiroki Kuroda, Kenta Maeda and more.
Buehler has been a part of special teams in his time with the Dodgers, but he’s noted that playing with Ohtani is expected to be a different type of experience. In his return from his second Tommy John surgery, he shares a bit of a similar path to Ohtani, as he’s recovering from his second elbow surgery, too.
Dodgers added prized Korean teen to their farm system
Another huge move for their farm system was signing prized Korean pitching prospect Hyun-seok Jang as part of the 2022-2023 international signing period.
The 19-year-old was projected to be the No. 1 pick in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) Draft, but decided to join MLB with the Dodgers.
His tremendous upside is highlighted by his six-foot-three-inch frame, with a fastball that touches the upper 90s. Jang also has a slider, sweeper, curveball and a changeup.
The future for the Dodgers is deep, with controllable, high-impact arms, while also having a loaded top-end with their latest plunge into adding some of the best pieces to hit the free agent market.
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