Ohtani Comes To America

It was going to be a challenge for Ohtani to start pitching again after taking last season off to recover from arm surgery, but that's what he thrives on. After coming back to the mound in mid-June, he slowly ramped up and ended up having a solid return. On the hitting side, he beat his home run record of last year by one and got to 55 this time. In the playoffs, he had a couple of particularly memorable games that will likely never be seen done again by anyone else. He played a key role in the Dodgers taking home another World Series championship this season and Ohtani once again won the MVP award.

Ohtani’s first regular season with the Dodgers was a massive success, despite all the drama of the offseason leading up to it. He became the first player to ever hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same reason, which would land him his third MVP award in four years. More importantly for Ohtani, it was the first time he got to be in the playoffs. The Dodgers went all the way, beating the New York Yankees in the World Series in five games. Ohtani, for the first time since coming to the MLB in 2018, is an MLB champion.

It’s been a crazy offseason for Ohtani this year. Signing his $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency wasn’t the end of it. Aside from normal Spring Training ramping back up after his procedure, some other developments came up. On the positive side, Ohtani announced he was newly married to Mamiko Tanaka, who has been a Japanese basketball player in recent years. On the negative side, a gambling scandal emerged around his former right hand man – interpreter Ippei Mizuhara – which Ippei involved Ohtani in by reportedly lying about knowledge and involvement to it. Jack and Kev talk about the latest developments with the marriage and Ippei, as well as giving a little preview to the Dodgers’ year ahead. Ohtani’s seventh MLB season has officially begun. Subscribe to our newsletter for more Ohtani updates: ⁠ohtanicomestoamerica.substack.com

Ohtani has reported to Spring Training and is beginning a new journey to prepare for the start of the 2024 season. While the Dodgers were always a top contender and obvious destination in free agency, what if Ohtani had chosen somewhere else? Kev and Jack look through specific lenses – the uniforms, locations, stadiums, and competitiveness – at the 29 other MLB teams in the league. Subscribe to our newsletter for more Ohtani updates: ohtanicomestoamerica.substack.com Thanks to the talented artist @247chr0 on Twitter for creating our new podcast cover artwork!

After getting the full breakdown on the $700 million contract that Ohtani signed with the Dodgers, perceptions around the deal shifted. While it was a 10-year contract to play for the team, $680 million of that will be deferred until after it finishes. For the next 10 years, Ohtani will make $2 million per year – which is the number that got headlines. However, for the Dodgers’ luxury tax purposes (aka how competitive they can be), Ohtani will still be measured against that as $46 million per year based on MLB’s system. Essentially, he’s still the highest value player in the league and does take up a lot of room on the team payroll. Jack and Kev talk about how this changes their opinion on the deal, the Dodgers’ press conference, Ohtani’s dog name reveal, and more. Subscribe to our Ohtani newsletter: ohtanicomestoamerica.substack.com

The big decision of free agency is done. Ohtani is staying in Southern California, but with the Los Angeles Dodgers as his next team. The contract is the biggest in sports history, $700 million for 10 years. After reporters had complained about it being too quiet and private a process for the sport, Friday included thousands of people tracking a flight to Toronto – and even Drake posting on Stories – before Ohtani shared his decision in an Instagram post the next day. Kev and Jack give their initial reactions, talk through the Dodgers team choice, and the frenzy that led to it. You can sign up for more updates at our newsletter: ohtanicomestoamerica.substack.com

After winning the MVP in 2021 and falling second in 2022 to Aaron Judge’s record-breaking performance, Ohtani’s performance this year earned him a second unanimous MVP award win. Announced in mid-November, the next day a ESPN Films documentary was released – “Shohei Ohtani: Beyond The Dream” – about his journey from Japan to the U.S. and his unique vision to make it happen. Jack and Kev talk about how this MVP win impacts the future discussion and initial reactions to the documentary.

After being shut down from pitching at the end of August, the rest of Ohtani's season also wrapped up earlier into September than expected. From an oblique injury that kept him as day-to-day, to then finally getting his elbow repair surgery (not full Tommy John), the decision was made that it was best for him to just heal at this point. Kev and Jack talk about the strange end to the season, as he finally finishes his contract with the Angels.

Ohtani was announced to have a UCL tear (in his elbow), which has stopped him from pitching for the rest of the season. And, depending if he gets Tommy John surgery again, could keep him from throwing next year as well. He’s still hitting for now, and could still do that most of 2024 as well, but there’s a lot more questions now overall around the future of Ohtani’s on-the-field play – let alone how this will all impact his upcoming free agency and the contract he’ll be signing. Meanwhile, the Angels completely blew it after the trade deadline and fell apart. Jack and Kev talk about what it all might mean for Ohtani, what this next month will bring (including the HR race with Olson), and the playful moment with Elly De La Cruz on the day of the injury. For weekly updates, subscribe to the newsletter: https://ohtanicomestoamerica.substack.com

While the Angels said they were listening to trade offers, Ohtani seemed to never really be close to getting moved by the team. So he'll remain in Anaheim through the end of the season before free agency. Instead, the Angels brought in a few new players to help supplement their push for the playoffs. Kev and Jack do a quick recap of the last couple weeks since the All-Star Break, from the trade deadline period to Ohtani's incredible two-way doubleheader performance in Detroit. You can keep up to date with our weekly Ohtani newsletter at: ohtanicomestoamerica.substack.com