Shohei Ohtani spent the first six seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Angels, where he won numerous accolades and put up historic numbers as a two-way player. However, all of those accomplishments came without playing in a single postseason game.
That factored into Ohtani’s decision to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he reiterated during his introductory press conference that his top priority is winning multiple World Series.
The 29-year-old is serious about reaching baseball’s biggest stage and structured his contract in a unique way that will allow the Dodgers to consistently add talent around him.
Ohtani also helped recruit Tyler Glasnow by saying he would hit home runs for him if he joined the team, and then made an impact in the Dodgers signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
“We like to have all of our players be involved in different conversations, and we feel like there’s star power across our team so hopefully he’ll be a part of that moving forward, just like we’ve had other guys chime in,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said of the role Ohtani will have in recruiting players.
“All of our guys want to win a World Series, so everybody is very aligned.”
In addition to Yamamoto, free agents Lucas Gioltio and Kiké Hernández have also expressed interest in playing on the same team as Ohtani.
The Dodgers have remained interested in Giolito as they look to add depth to their rotation, and he would provide the club with another rebound candidate after some struggles over the previous two seasons.
Whether that leads to Giolito signing in L.A. remains to be seen, but Ohtani has only officially been a Dodger for about two weeks and he’s is already doing his part in helping recruit players to the team.
Shohei Ohtani selected to 2023 All-MLB Team
Ohtani was selected to the 2023 All-MLB Team for his contributions as a hitter and pitcher with the Angels, joining new Dodgers teammates Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Ohtani was named to the First Team as both a starting pitcher and a designated hitter, marking the first time that’s been done in baseball history. Ohtani was previously recognized for both his talents, but took home Second Team honors as part of it.
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