Shohei Ohtani has worn No. 17 throughout his career so far. It’s his number. He’s synonymous with it.
But he’s with the Dodgers now and that number is taken. Or, at least, it was. Joe Kelly wore No. 17 with the Dodgers in each of his stints with the team throughout his career.
That led to there being a bit of intrigue in the Dodgers’ pursuit of Ohtani this offseason. Would that mean Kelly had to give up his number? If so, would that be a problem?
From the beginning, though, it was clear that it wouldn’t be. It’s all thanks to Joe Kelly’s wife, Ashley.
She quelled all of that with her #OhTake17 campaign on social media where she made an effort to convince Ohtani to come to LA. She also offered up her husband’s number and even joked that the couple would change their son’s name from Kai to ShoKai and was ready to give away her family’s No. 17 gear.
In exchange for all that love, plus the actual No. 17, Ohtani bought Ashley a new Porsche. Yes, seriously.
“It’s yours…from Shohei.”
Shohei gifted Joe Kelly’s wife Ashley with a new car for her Ohtake17 campaign. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/Vsb3PqMthF
LA had to make some room for another $300 million contract for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The team signed him to a 12-year, $325 million deal. Charles Curtis has you covered here on the winners and losers of the deal.
This deal is one for the ages. By signing Yamamoto, the Dodgers have now spent $1 billion on two players. Just two. Add in Tyler Glasnow’s $136 million deal and you’re up to a little over $1.1 billion between three players. That’s impressive enough. Add in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman to that equation and we’re nearly talking about another half-billion dollars. That’s a lot of cash, man. And it should lead to a ton of wins.
Make no mistake about it, folks. This is a super team. It might be the most super team that has ever been assembled. This is like taking LeBron James’ Heat and Kevin Durant’s Warriors and combining them. There are All-Stars up and down this team’s lineup.
On one hand, I get it. It’s hard seeing a team stack the deck like this knowing that your favorite team probably can’t compete. Especially considering how good the Dodgers already were to begin with.
But here’s the thing: The games still have to be played. We have no idea how this talent will mesh together. That’s the thing about baseball, right? You can have Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout on the same team and it doesn’t matter if what’s happening around them doesn’t mix. There’s a chance — a slim chance, but a chance nonetheless! — that these Dodgers don’t work. Lots of people are going to watch to see if they do, though. That, objectively, is good for baseball.
Plus, on top of that, I can’t understand the logic of a team going for it all as being bad for baseball. Especially when so many teams just … don’t?
Take this tweet from my pal, Michael Waterloo, for example. In one offseason, the Dodgers have spent as much money as the Pittsburgh Pirates have in 20 years. Twenty years, folks!
The Pirates opening day roster – including 2024 – has had a combined total salary of $1,169,747,570 from 2004-2024.
The Dodgers spent this offseason what the Pirates have spent in 20 years. https://t.co/pw0NPsehgR
That right there? That’s bad for baseball. In a league with no salary cap, not spending means not competing. And the Dodgers are doing the opposite. That’s good. Keep going, Dodgers.
And, honestly, looking back on it, I completely understand my logic! This is a game the Pistons should’ve won, man.
Detroit was at home. The Jazz aren’t good. And, to pile on even further, Utah was missing Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson who are its two best players. Even Woj thought the Pistons might win.
As opportunies go to end this 24-game losing streak and sidestep the infamy of the all-time single-season record of 26, the Detroit Pistons get a good one at home tonight: The Utah Jazz without Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, Keyonte George and Talen Horton-Tucker.
Instead, it’s 25 straight losses. The Pistons are four losses away from the longest losing streak in league history. Cade Cunningham is in denial. Fans are devastated. It’s all bad.
Sorry, Pistons fans. It looks like your favorite team is about to make the wrong type of history.
Your Christmas wishes!
Saint Kick is in the building, folks! I asked you all to send us your Christmas wishes for your favorite sports teams and you did not disappoint. Let’s share some here!
A forlorn Indiana football fan wants “a winning season with the new coaching staff 🏈” I don’t know if Saint Kick is good enough to deliver that winning season, but hey! We’ll see! Maybe Curt Cignetti is that guy. Baby steps, partner.
Another Chiefs fan wants a new group of receivers for his team. Wait … is this … is this Patrick Mahomes?
“Dear Sports Santa, please give the Chiefs a wide receiver that can catch a pass at any point in the game and that Patrick Mahomes can trust. Kadarius Toney has been god-awful all season, getting in his own head and either dropping a pass or straight up bobbling it to the other team. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was given a 3-year, $30 million contract to be a good deep threat or even slot machine. He has not held up his end of the bargain and single-handedly lost us the Eagles game. Skyy Moore can’t stay on the field and can’t get open when he is. Thanks for Rashee Rice though, he’s awesome.”
Shoutout to Rashee Rice earning some love there. That’s nice. Anyway, moving on, the nicest Broncos fan ever also dropped a wish in.
“I would like to see peace on earth and all wars ended. In sports I would like to see the Denver Broncos make it to the Super Bowl. Thank you and merry Christmas and a safe new year.”
Well, now I feel terrible for talking greasy about Sean Payton. Thanks, Broncos fan. I hope your team makes it to the Super Bowl, too.
Photo Friday: Poor Pistons fans
Pistons, I hope you didn’t think I was done with you. The Pistons broadcast caught fans are out here wearing paper bag masks of shame. You never want to see the paper bag masks of shame.
That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you for reading TMW. Have a fantastic holiday. Til next time! Peace. We out.
First, a reminder: Shohei Ohtani will NOT be part of the already-sick Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting rotation in 2024. He’s recovering from Tommy John surgery and will pitch in 2025.
That said, now that the Dodgers have Yoshinobu Yamamoto as an ace, the rotation at the moment is downright filthy. You’ve got Yamamoto in front, Walker Buehler a full year healthier and just 29 years old, Tyler Glasnow as your No. 2 or 3 after the Rays trade and former first-round pick Bobby Miller, who had a sub-4.00 in his first year.
This graphic has Emmet Sheehan at No. 5, but I wonder if the Dodgers go out and find a veteran to fill that role:
And they’ve used that cash to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto to an astounding 12-year (!) $325 million (!!) contract late on Thursday night. There was talk that the contract for the 25-year-old Japanese hurler could go over $300 million and that’s exactly what happened as the reported bidding got higher and higher.
The big surprise is the amount of years, but we’ll get to that. Here are the winners and losers of this deal:
The Rams had Shohei Ohtani in the locker room after their win over the Saints, celebrating the victory with the Dodgers star
Shohei Ohtani has played in Southern California his entire MLB career, but he flipped sides from the Angels to the Dodgers this offseason when he signed a $700 million deal in free agency. As a new member of the Dodgers, he’s getting the Hollywood treatment in Los Angeles, including an appearance at the Rams’ game against the Saints on Thursday night.
He was on the field before kickoff, in a suite during the game and in the locker room after the victory, hanging out with Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay. He’s one of the biggest stars in the world and now that he’s going to be playing at Dodger Stadium, there are even more eyeballs on him.
The Dodgers won’t stop spending money on great players
The Los Angeles Dodgers have won the second major sweepstakes of the MLB offseason, landing Japanese right hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto with a contract reportedly worth more than $300 million.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke the news on Thursday night that Yamamoto was signing with LA for 12 years and $325 million, joining his fellow countryman Shohei Ohtani in blue — and giving the two-way star another reason to enjoy his time at the Rams-Saints game on Thursday night.
The 25-year-old Yamamoto was always expected to get a massive deal after posting a 1.16 ERA, 0.884 WHIP and 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings rate in Japan last year. But the Dodgers spending more than $1 billion this offseason on just two players is a bit harder to process.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto's deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers is the largest contract for a pitcher in Major League Baseball history, beating Gerrit Cole's deal by $1 million. Furthermore, the Dodgers will pay an additional $50.6 million in posting fee. Total outlay: 12 years, $375M.
With Ohtani not even two weeks into his Dodgers career, he decided to take in some more sights in Southern California by attending Thursday night’s matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints. And boy, was he a giant magnet of attention. Because of course he was. (Note: Maybe Kirk Herbstreit should learn how to pronounce his name next time!)
Let’s take a look at some of the highlights where Ohtani somehow looks slick no matter what he’s doing. He’s the talk of the town, after all.
Kobe Bryant may not be around any more, but the Dodgers still found a way to get him to attract two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani to their team.
Right now is a pretty good time to be a Los Angeles sports fan. The Los Angeles Lakers have LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing at a very high level, even though James is about to turn 39, and they could have a shot at winning the NBA championship.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been perennial World Series contenders for the last several years, just landed arguably the biggest star in all of sports, phenom Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani, who has been among Major League Baseball’s best pitchers and hitters over the last few years, has been compared to Babe Ruth. He will give the Dodgers a monstrous offensive lineup right away.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Dodgers had wanted Ohtani for years, and in 2017, Lakers legend Kobe Bryant recorded a short recruiting clip as a favor to the Dodgers. The Dodgers played that clip recently while meeting with Ohtani, and the Japan native lit up.
“For six years, the video remained a secret, squirreled away for the next time. In 2017, during their failed courtship of Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers held onto the minute-or-so-long clip as part of their closing pitch, one they never got to give. Two weeks ago, the next time arrived, and the Dodgers weren’t leaving anything to chance.
“This time was different. Every team has a DH. And the Dodgers offered so much more, from the 10 division titles in 11 seasons, to the farm system that churned out major leaguers on the regular, to the robust analytical group that dispenses wisdom to players. Plus, of course, the video — which, in the grand scheme, wasn’t a whole lot, taking up a fraction of the three hours Ohtani spent with the team’s upper management at Dodger Stadium on Dec. 1. But in that sliver of time, on the screen for Ohtani was a figure long associated with Los Angeles sports excellence making the case for him to sign with the Dodgers.
“Kobe Bryant.
“Back in 2017, Bryant had filmed the clip as a favor to the team. Now, more than three years after his death in a helicopter crash, Bryant’s reputation as the ultimate competitor spans all sports, and his message to Ohtani registered the same posthumously in 2023 as it would have then: There’s no better place in the world to win than Los Angeles, and there’s no better team in baseball to win with than the Dodgers.
“‘That was one of the highlights of the whole meeting,’ Ohtani told ESPN through his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. ‘I was really surprised to see it. It was a strong and touching message.’
“When Bryant said Ohtani’s name, it took him aback. They never met, but Ohtani marveled at Bryant’s commitment, to his craft, to his sport, to his team. Mizuhara, who is as much adviser to Ohtani as the conduit for his words, grew up in Los Angeles and understood what it meant for Bryant to vouch for the Dodgers. A minute of his time, of the presence he still casts, felt like a wonderful eternity.”
Bryant, who tragically died in 2020 in a helicopter crash, continues to not only inspire countless people, but apparently, he is continuing to influence L.A. sports teams in a positive way.
While there are many reasons Ohtani decided to sign with Los Angeles rather than other potential suitors (like the Blue Jays or the Giants), one came in the form of the pitch video presentation from the team.
Here is more on the video from this fantastic feature by Jeff Passan (via ESPN):
“But in that sliver of time, on the screen for Ohtani was a figure long associated with Los Angeles sports excellence making the case for him to sign with the Dodgers.
Kobe Bryant.
Back in 2017, Bryant had filmed the clip as a favor to the team. Now, more than three years after his death in a helicopter crash, Bryant’s reputation as the ultimate competitor spans all sports, and his message to Ohtani registered the same posthumously in 2023 as it would have then: There’s no better place in the world to win than Los Angeles, and there’s no better team in baseball to win with than the Dodgers.
‘That was one of the highlights of the whole meeting,’ Ohtani told ESPN through his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. ‘I was really surprised to see it. It was a strong and touching message.’
When Bryant said Ohtani’s name, it took him aback. They never met, but Ohtani marveled at his commitment, to his craft, to his sport, to his team. Mizuhara, who is as much consigliere to Ohtani as the conduit for his words, grew up in Los Angeles and understood what it meant for Bryant to vouch for the Dodgers. A minute of his time, of the presence he still casts, felt like a wonderful eternity.”
It makes sense why Ohtani would feel so moved by the encouragement from the late Bryant, who had so much success winning championships during his time playing in Los Angeles.
Ohtani, who also received a signed pair of shoes from Bryant in 2018, likely ingratiated himself with lots of fans in Southern California by sharing that the video from the five-time champion meant so much to him.
Shohei Ohtani met with the media on Thursday evening for the first time since signing his record-breaking $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. And while many of the questions touched upon Ohtani’s recent surgery and free agency, one reporter asked Ohtani the question many baseball fans really wanted to know.
What is the name of his dog?!
Ohtani’s dog stole the show during the live American League MVP announcement call with MLB Network. But at the time, Ohtani wouldn’t disclose the dog’s name, which fueled rumors that the name was somehow connected to his new team.
But no, the dog’s name is not Dodger — as some had speculated. Instead, the doggo is named “Dekopin” or “Decoy” for American fans.
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) December 14, 2023
Considering the drama over the mystery flight to Toronto (that ended up being Robert Herjavec’s flight home), Decoy is a pretty spectacular name for Ohtani’s dog. It summed up the free agency quite well.
MLB fans were also excited to finally learn Dekopin/Decoy’s name.
