The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes are over, and the pitcher who throws like a Cy Young candidate and hits like a two-time MVP (which he is) is… a Los Angeles Dodger. Massive record-breaking contract included.
Saturday, the pitcher/slugger announced his decision on Instagram, writing in part: “Until the last day of my playing career, I want to continue to strive forward not only for the Dodgers but for the baseball world.”
After a wild Friday filled with reports, speculation over his dog’s name and a plane — which Ohtani was not, in fact, on — tracked from California to Toronto ultimately ended with Ohtani staying in southern California and signing with the Dodgers, ending what’s been a fun free agency period as we’ve followed so many crumbs with Ohtani’s camp keeping things relatively secretive.
Now that it’s all over, it’s time to declare some winners and losers, including — of course — the team that was lucky enough to sign him: