Shohei Ohtani, Gavin Lux, and Lorenzo Sciarrino

At first blush, those are three things that are not the same… and as you suspect, they are not. Let’s talk about them one at a time. However, before I go there, let’s discuss what team is the best-run franchise in baseball, courtesy of Ken Rosenthal. You already know the answer. Even the morons who blast Roberts and Friedman know better…

Shohei Ohtani

While he is a great player, he will never be mentioned in the same breath as Ruth, Williams, Aaron, and Mantle due to his longevity. Going into his age 30 season, he has 171 Home Runs and a .922 OPS. A-Rod had 451 HR by age 30, Griffey had 438, etc. There are about 40 more players who had more home runs by age 30. Yes, he only has five full seasons (because of the partial COVID season) in MLB, and while he is a freak in that he has both pitched and hit, a rational-thinking person has to realize that there is a very substantial possibility that he will not pitch at a high level again. We don’t know – the same as we don’t know if Walker Buehler will come back… and Buehler was two years younger when he had his second UCL surgery.

All we know is that Ohtani had his best offensive season (by far) in 2023. We know that he was the sole star on a really bad team (most of the season), and we know that when he could not hit anymore due to his oblique strain, he cleaned out his locker and left the team. General manager Perry Minasian finally told reporters an MRI had revealed an issue with Ohtani’s oblique on September 11th, and “Ohtani apparently decided to clear out his locker because he is focusing on getting a procedure done on his elbow.” That procedure was done on October 1st. That’s all I’ll say about it! Draw your own conclusions… there are plenty of opinions on the internet about it. On the other hand, you will be loathe to get any of his former teammates to say anything bad about him.

Lorenzo Sciarrino

I am not against Ohtani, but I do not believe it is intelligent to sign him for $50+ MM a year with a ten-year commitment. Now, if they could sign him for a hitter contract for eight years and $320 MM with opt-outs if he wants to pitch, then I am fine with that. Make it happen, but I am not down with breaking the bank to sign Shohei! Of course, some uninformed fans point to the fact that the Dodgers recently named Lorenzo Sciarrino to the position of Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships. In his role, Sciarrino will head the Dodgers’ global sponsorship department, supervising and engineering franchise partnerships with businesses domestically and internationally.

Sciarrino’s new position marks his return to the Dodgers, where he spent 12 years, culminating in his role as VP of Corporate Partnerships. During his tenure, he helped architect a refined go-to-market partnership sales strategy that resulted in historic revenue growth for the organization.

“Lorenzo is a highly regarded leader in his field,” said Lon Rosen, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Los Angeles Dodgers. “He has an incredible grasp of the complex sports ecosystem that features worldwide sponsorship at its center and dynamic business opportunities in its orbit. We are thrilled to welcome him back to the Dodgers and can’t wait to see what he brings back to the organization.”

So, of course, some fans believe that this proves the Dodgers are going after Ohtani! It very well may prove the opposite. I do not believe that signing Ohtani is in any way connected to the Dodgers bringing Lorenzo Sciarrino back to LA. It is more likely that he is there to help develop these global partnerships regardless of whether they sign Ohtani.

As a matter of fact, if you look at the Dodgers Front-office global partnerships, you will find this:

• Senior Vice President, Global Partnerships: Lorenzo Sciarrino
• Vice President, Global Partnerships: Jeanne Vetter
• Senior Director, Global Partnership Administration & Services: Jenny Oh
• Senior Director, Global Partnerships: RJ Mata
• Senior Director, Marketing Solutions: Matt Grable
• Director, Global Partnership Services: Kristen Jareck
• Director, Global Partnership Services: Kali Hengsteler
• Director, Global Partnership Services: Karen Luciano
• Director, Global Partnerships: Sander Rodman
• Manager, Global Partnerships: Matthew Walker
• Manager, Global Partnerships: Tiffany Lam
• Manager, Marketing Solutions: Matthew Diaz
• Coordinator, Global Partnerships: Dominique Iezza
• Coordinator, Marketing Solutions: Nala Osorio

BTW, Andrew Friedman has nothing to do with this. He is on the baseball side. The Dodgers are about 5000 steps ahead of any of us on this. If Shohei becomes a Dodger, I will root like hell for him – I just do not see it happening based on what he will command financially and based upon what the Morons by the Bay will offer! However, never fear – the Dodgers will be in on some other Asian Players. such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Many MLB people believe he has the ability to be a #1 Starter.

“Yamamoto in Japan over seven seasons, a 1.72 ERA. A 0.915 WHIP, averages more than a strikeout per inning, 6.2 hits per nine innings. His strikeout to walk ratio is 4.56 strikeouts for every walk.
“He is a strike-throwing machine. He is a strikeout, swing-and-miss pitcher, he is a workhorse. He is at times unhittable. He’s never given up double digit home runs in a single season.”

–Former Mets GM, Steve Phillips

He is only 5′ 10″ tall, but then again… so was Pedro Martinez. Additionally, the Dodgers are also looking at Shōta Imanaga, the Lefty who started against Team USA in the World Baseball Classic gold medal game. To me, it would be a marketing coup to get both Yamamoto and Imanaga to say nothing about helping the rotation. Yamamoto will likely command an 8-year/$230 Million Dollar Deal, and Imanaga will be in the neighborhood of a $100 Million/4 year deal since he is five years older.

Also, the Dodgers have already signed Hyun-suk Jang, the RH Pheonem from Korea, and then there is Jung Hoo Lee, who is considered an upgrade in CF. Lee will likely command a 5-year $100 Million deal as well), so the dollars to spend will be limited. I am not saying Shohei Ohtani will not be a Dodger, but it will not be at a ridiculous price, and it will have to make sense. JD Martinez is still available, and he wants to come back to the Dodgers.

Gavin Lux

I like Gavin’s bat, legs (although we shall have to see if he can maintain his speed after surgery), and glove. What scares me is his arm. It’s no secret that he has had the yips in the past, and he doesn’t have a cannon of an arm anyway. It’s strong but not noteworthy. I have no problem with Gavin at 2B, but I do not believe that he can play SS. You might say that Andrew Friedman believes Gavin is a SS, but maybe he is just trying to “sell” that idea. Until he actually starts at SS, I do not believe AF believes that, either. That is my opinion. I see Gavin Lux as a 20 HR/.290 hitter. If he plays 2B, I am down with that, although you have seen his throws from 2B be wildly unpredictable as well.

I honestly think Gavin should hit higher in the lineup, if he maintains his speed. In a perfect world, I’d like to see this:

1. Betts SS (this will never happen)
2. Lux 2B
3. Ohtani DH
4. Freeman 1B
5. Smith C
6. Muncy 3B
7. Lee CF
8. Heyward/Deluca RF
9. Busch/Vargas/Outman LF (pick a pair and trade one)

1. Yamamoto
2. Miller
3. Imanaga
4. Pepiot
5. Ryu
6. Buehler

I like two lefties and with Buehler, Ryu, the youngsters, and the Japanese players who are used to pitching every six days, it makes sense to use a six-man rotation to protect the arms. That’s my story and I stand by it… with my really cool Dodger shirt on: