The dust is slowly, but surely settling on the last hours which were among the craziest in the history of professional sport. We can say that Shohei Ohtani's respect for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization made all the difference and greatly influenced his choice to call Dodger Stadium home for the next ten years.
The 700 million dollars coming with this choice will also have influenced the situation, you will tell me, and you are certainly not wrong. But the fact that the Dodgers accentuate their desire to win major honors each year makes them a team of choice for free agents.
The Dodgers have deep, very deep pockets and few teams could have afforded the services of the Japanese by extending a record amount as they did. But beyond the monetary aspect, the dealership never lowers its quality standards, as demonstrated by the acquisitions of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman over the years.
In 2024, the top of the team's lineup will be occupied by three players from elsewhere.
As paradoxical as it may seem, the Californian team also has a reputation for developing its young talents well and this is an aspect that pleased Ohtani in anticipation of the choice of his destination.
A historically rich franchise that takes care of its players and its fans can only attract praise from the baseball community. However, the Dodgers are not the only ones to do this and the small details take over to make a difference. The Blue Jays certainly offered as many intangible advantages as the Dodgers in their quest for the best baseball player on the planet, but the historical aspect was perhaps too important.
The technology, the quality of the facilities and the fact of remaining in a familiar environment are all favorable considerations for the training which allowed them to hit the jackpot.
Ohtani, as we saw during the World Baseball Classic, likes to win. The Japanese could not have satisfied his thirst for victory by remaining with the Angels, while he is likely to participate in the playoffs for the first time in his first year with the Dodgers.
Since the confirmation of his arrival with the Dodgers, the latter have overtaken the Atlanta Braves in obtaining the best chances of victory in anticipation of the next World Series. It now remains to be seen if the magic will work because the Dodgers, despite excellent seasons over the last decade, have only won major honors once and that was in 2020.
By rolling out the red carpet to sign Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers prove once again that they represent a franchise out of the ordinary.
