Fake News
For about a year, I have been predicting that Shohei Ohtani will not be a Dodger. Until proven wrong, I stand by that… STILL! On November 11th, I wrote this: “ Everyone seems to revere Ohtani as “God-like,” and while he is an amazing talent, I think any team that is determined…
For about a year, I have been predicting that Shohei Ohtani will not be a Dodger. Until proven wrong, I stand by that… STILL! On November 11th, I wrote this:
“Everyone seems to revere Ohtani as “God-like,” and while he is an amazing talent, I think any team that is determined to sign him is going to regret it very much. I believe you are going to see him start to break down at much more regular intervals. Yes, he is a freak! But he is human, and as we age, injuries are part of the process. Our bodies do not recover as quickly. Ohtani credits sleep with being a recovery mechanism, and he sleeps up to 12 hours a night! He considers sleep as a “recovery” method… and he is right! Sleep is a recovery method that works. I have successfully used it to recover quickly from back surgery and cardioversion, which successfully eliminated A-Fib. I know that it works, but it still will not make Ohtani Superman.
—Mark Timmons
OK, I am going to say something, and here it is: Andrew Friedman will not give Ohtani a contract that hamstrings the Dodgers! Now, what that means exactly, I do not know. But here is what I do know: The Investment Group that bought the Dodgers paid the most ever as a group for the team (over $2 Billion Dollars), and while it is appreciating in value, investorswant, no… demand, an annual return on their capital, and the Dodgers deliver that! I think that anytime the Dodgers sign a player, they have to ask, “What is the worst-case scenario if we sign this player?”
What is the worst-case scenario with Shohei? OK, (1) He never recovers enough to be a successful pitcher again (OK, you could live with that); (2) He frequently is injured and maybe only averages 110 games a year; and (3) his power production goes down. If he was making $300 Million over ten years, you might be able to live with that, but you can’t pick and choose when injuries occur. However, if he commands $400 to $500 Million over 10 to 12 years, that is a contract that will hamstring the Dodgers.
See, what Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers are doing is different than any other team in baseball: They want to be relevant and contend every year… and they have done that for the past ten years, and there is no end in sight to that dominant streak. No other team in baseball does that. The fact that they have won only one World Series and were cheated out of another one in that run is not lost on intelligent fans. The morons don’t get it. I am not going to get into that aspect right now, as you can’t tell really stupid people anything! However, I am good with that. I would rather enjoy a winning team, year after year, than win a World Series and then tank for five years! You may feel differently… and that is your prerogative! With the way the playoffs have changed, it is a crapshoot to a large degree, and if you can’t understand that… especially after this season, the lights are on, but nobody is home.
So, unless Andrew Friedman comes up with some very creative way of mitigating risk while signing Ohtani, I do not think it is prudent for the Dodgers to do so, and even if the Dodgers do sign him, I will still abide by that. I do not think it is wise.“
There has been lots of disinformation on where Ohtani is going to land, and one website even proclaimed yesterday: “Shohei Ohtani to Sign with Toronto Blue Jays over Los Angeles Dodgers: Sources“. As of this minute, that is fake news. People are so eager to break a story that they have to make stuff up. I gained a lot of respect for Dave Roberts, who, earlier this week, did not play the Ohtani silent game and acknowledged that the Dodgers had met with Ohtani. Brandon Gomes and Andrew Friedman still play the role of Ohtani’s Little Bitches. I have lost some respect for them, but Andrew Friedman could step up as a man and regain that respect by saying, “Shohei, since you can’t make the decision, I will make it for you. Let me introduce our new DH – JD Martinez. Have a nice life!”
There is no Shohei in team! Move on from him now, Andrew! Let’s get on with the offseason deals.
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Discussion (148)
Disagree, not disagreeable
There is a car similar to the one Ohtani drives, reported traveling south on the 405 towards San Diego. Oh my gosh, Ohtani is signing with the Padres! Someone inform MoroNsi so he can tweet it out!
everyone in sports media wants to be the first to report the big news! can’t hardly blame them. i just wish it would break and be done! ENOUGH!!! in a perfect w all teams would boycott his ass and he would go back to Japan! sure he’s a heavenly talent. but right now he’s a DH ! There’s no guarantee Walker B is ever gonna be the same pitcher he was, so how do we know ohthani is? a 5 year contract with incentives is all he deserves! if he pitches in 2025 bump him on up . if not you have the highest paid DH in history. would he look good in dodger lineup? absolutely! but so would 3 very good players too. Roberts and Cease can be had! Imangana can be had. Seth Lugo can be had. getter done!
The Dodgers should not lose out to the BluevJays. The organization has been planning to sign him for two years and they are going to allow the Blue Jays to best them?! Cole, Harper, Nola, Ohtani, that is a bad trend. Now they must get busy and act like a legitimate big time organization and sign two aces and a shortstop and a third baseman. The Dodgers should never lose to the Blue Jays!!!
Breaking news; Ohtani is still undecided.
All good points, Mark.
But this may be driven by ownership, not the front office. When the new owners paid over $2 billion to acquire the Dodgers, it was well beyond the value of the organization. This can’t be based on baseball. There has to be something more.
There was “more”, there was a massive TV deal that would generate far more dollars than the two billion dollar purchase price and other revenue streams. The new owners knew something that no one else did. No one was projecting a deal of that magnitude.
As we look at Ohtani, we know that he generates new revenue streams for an organization. The Angels said that trading Ohtani in August would cost the club around $20 million.
Most of those dollars come from sponsorships, advertising and merchandise, not ticket and hot dog sales .
So when we try to determine how the team can afford a massive contract like this we would need to know the projections the Dodgers are using. So how would that work in Toronto? Apparently, pretty well since the Blue Jays are owned by Rogers Communication, well positioned to take advantage.
I still believe it’s too much money and it might be better to pursue pitching and fill some other holes.
So here are the questions that need to be asked if the Dodgers do indeed land Shohei.
Does this mean the Dodgers are no longer concerned about the luxury tax and all the penalties that are attached with going over it.
Can the Dodgers stay under the tax next season and in future years? What does that look like?
How will this impact future decisions, adding other players or signing players to future contracts. Will this signing become a boat anchor as the Dodgers move forward. What about financial flexibility? Is that no longer important.
Does this signing remove the Dodgers from pursuit of Yamamoto or other costly free agent pitchers?
You said in an earlier press conference the Dodgers needed to acquire established starting pitching through potential trades or the free agent market. Is that still the goal? Can the Dodgers still add that kind of talent and afford substantial contracts? Or does it mean the Dodgers will have to rely more on young starting pitching.
Do you expect Ohtani to resume pitching at a high level in 2025?
Do your believe that Ohtani is a difference maker when it comes to the playoffs? In your opinion is he the best hitter in baseball?
There could be more, obviously. But those questions need to be answered to give some clarity regarding the Dodgers future.
sometimes the best deals are the ones that you don’t make, or the ones that the players won’t let you make! Rendon, Nola, Stanton, even Bryce Harper. dodger fans are spoiled to an extent. winning will do that. i love winning the division every year . i also hate losing in the first round too! i realize it’s hard to argue with AF and sometimes criticize hm too. i’m not a fan of platoons! yes i know it’s been a winning formula. but as reported on mlb network, that’s a reason the giants have had a hard time recruiting stars to san francisco . but as long as Friedman is there i guess i’ll live with it. would love a big right handed hitter to man left field daily! Robert in center and a platoon in right! maybe santa clause will deliver. pay attention to the d-backs! not saying they will be better than dodgers, but pay attention! everyone having fun? lol
I’ve been looking in on this blog for a long time now and decided it’s time to chime in with my “opinion” on this:
To me Mark has nailed this all along. Ohtani is like the shiny new object when you’re a two year old. Why all the uproar over this guy? He’s a DH that doesn’t play the field, can’t pitch for at least a year and may not be the same when he does. His 6 season career stats are .274 avg, .922 OPS, one 100 RBI season, two 100 run seasons. His pitching record is 38-19, 3.01 ERA and requires a six man rotation! What is so 600 million dollar special about that? What are his defensive metrics? Oh, he doesn’t have any! How good is he going to be in 5 or 6 years from now when the team is shelling out 60 million a season for a DH on the decline? Instead of fans buying his jersey they’ll be burning it. Whoever loses out on this guy should be thankful. By the way, the new rumor is that he’s holding out for a better offer from the team he really wants to play for. AF anyone? Okay, I don’t take criticism well, but I’m ready!
And hello from Co. Springs to my neighbor Bear in Canon City.
AF was sighted this morning at the the Dollar General shopping for players. Will he ruin our Holidays and come up with bargain basement players or will he surprise us with big ticket quality players? Spend the 100 million in the budget and give us a chance to win a World Series in 2024.
Evidently, AF just wins 100 games every year with smoke and mirrors?
I think the Dodgers will be better off spending that money on more players… not just one.
I get the marketing aspect of signing Ohtani, but I’d rather have two $30MM players than one $60MM player. Actually, the Dodgers could probably sign three very good players for what Ohtani costs.
Here’s a list of last year’s payrolls:
1. N.Y. Mets, $353,546,854
2. N.Y. Yankees, $276,999,872
3. San Diego, $248,995,932
4. Philadelphia, $243,009,439
5. L.A. Dodgers, $222,717,834
6. L.A. Angels, $212,228,096
Anyone who thinks spending the most money will equal a Championship is a World Class Moron!
FACT: No MLB Team has spent more money on payroll than the Dodgers since Friedman has taken over.
FACT: No MLB team spends more on player development than the Dodgers, except possibly the Yankees.
To say that Friedman tries to go cheap is a flat-out fiction!
2022 Total luxury tax penalties (the 2023 Total is not yet in)
Dodgers: $32,397,344
Mets: $30,773,938
Yankees: $9,681,093
Phillies: $2,882,657
Padres: $1,524,638
Red Sox: $1,229,936
TOTAL: $78,489,606
It is interesting to think about what else we could buy for $600m.
I’m reading rumors of a lot of teams interested in Yamamoto and that’s no surprise. He’s my favorite free agent.
I’m also reading rumors of some teams interested in Imanaga and Lee. My 2nd and 3rd favorite free agents.
Also rumors of the D-backs considering Justin Turner, J.D. Martinez and Rhys Hoskins. Any of those 3 I’d like the Dodgers to have DHing. Justin Turner the least of the 3. And yeah, I’m a no on Ohtani.
When I hear these rumors, I get anxious about AF signing them before other teams beat him to it.
I have said it a couple times so this is the last time- Please let Ohtani go to Toronto. People keep saying he will generate enough money to cover his costs. Maybe but all that money generated only covers his cost and doesn’t have much impact on baseball. I think most are looking at the advertising/PR impact and not improving the team. He is a DH and as someone else said “How many more homers and RBI’s will he provide versus JD (and at only $480 million more per year)? If there is any possibility signing Ohtani takes anything away from efforts to sign pitchers, then our management is more interested in PR than baseball. He will be a distraction, take focus off the team and be a roadblock to future efforts to improve the team. On top of all that his special rules and need to be secretive, with warnings for those that cross him, gets really old. He is going to be a headache.
Morning guys. At this point I do not care where he signs, just get the circus over with.
For a good laugh-Joe Kelly’s wife…looks like she and Mariachi Joe are a perfect match
Open on www.instagram.comhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/C0mrjSjvKHM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_linkI like Crismatt as a signing. Good change, can be the long-arm in the pen.
Good price.
What’s not to like taking a flier on him?
Lots of dingbats posting this morning.
Blind Joe
Didn’t you say the same thing about Ryan Brasier
LOL! Yes, this is full on sarcasm and a bit of shade throwing, and maybe a little unfair to what may be a decent, under-the-radar signing, but it’s so well crafted it’s actually pretty hysterical. Well done! This is the kind of snark this place needs, not the snide preening of Bluto’s effort a couple of posts down.
There might be another Japanese pitcher to be posted, Roku Sasaki of the ChibaLotte Marines. In 2022 he pitched a 19 strikeout perfect game. At 22 years old he would be of interest to many teams. He has asked to be posted but it is unclear if his team will oblige. Note; Ohtani had the option to leave for the majors whenever he wanted included in his contract with Nippon Ham. Sasaki is thought to also have that clause in his deal with Chiba Lotte.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to be one of his top suitors whenever he is posted. Top executive Andrew Friedman was in attendance for Sasaki’s bullpen sessions leading up to the most recent World Baseball Classic.
Shohei is a Dodger! Posted on his Instagram page
700 M for 10 years. Stupid
R U KIDDING ME!!!!!! That’s INSANE! All time DOPE FIEND MOVE! No way this works out! What can possibly be left to sign starting pitching?
Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!! it’s not my money. I told you he was coming!!!! Mark you were wrong on this one. This was all ownership.