Shohei Ohtani's Decision to Join the Dodgers: Impact & Reasons

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00:00 [MUSIC]

00:02 Ultimately, it's Shohei Otani who makes the announcement himself on his Instagram page

00:07 that he's staying in Southern California, going across I-5 from the Angels to the Dodgers

00:13 organization. What do you think were the reasons behind Shohei Otani's decision to become an LA

00:18 Dodger? >> Well, look, I think that first and foremost, being comfortable living in Los Angeles

00:25 had to play a major factor in why he ended up staying in the same city and just moving over

00:30 and playing at Chavez Ravine. So I think that, Ben, that was no question important.

00:35 Now that we have seen what he's gonna be earning over the course of this contract,

00:38 at least initially, we now understand that Otani wants to win and he's helping the Dodgers win.

00:44 There's no doubt about that. And look, I think it was also important to set the bar for him for

00:48 the future of all free agents. There's no question about that. Greg Council may be on a much smaller

00:53 level for managers, but what did this do for Juan Soto's free agency? Did they bump it 50 million,

00:58 100 million? I mean, it's obvious at this point with all of the other owners sitting back going,

01:03 my gosh, they gave this guy 700. How are we not gonna be able to say we can't afford four or five

01:09 or six or whatever that is? So I think those things definitely played a factor as far as

01:14 the process leading up to it. I don't think there's any question that the one piece of

01:19 legitimate info that we got was that Otani visited and his agent as well visited Dunedin

01:25 and their spring training site. And I don't know how that been factored in, Donnie, I don't know

01:31 how that factored in at all to this, but it made the Blue Jays feel they had a shot, right? Like,

01:35 I think that is the point. All the other stuff that you saw, unfortunately, sometimes things

01:41 are just wrong. And I think that that's what happened. I don't think there was personally

01:44 for me in speaking to them. And I think I told you guys early on on this, I was not gonna break

01:49 the story. I knew that from the beginning. But I did know a little bit about some of the comings

01:53 and goings with this, because, again, you have to have relationships with all agents in the industry.

01:57 And so naturally in baseball, I do. I think them going to Dunedin helped their cause with the Blue

02:05 Jays, potentially even making them think that there was a real shot they would sign him. I still

02:10 think the Blue Jays had a chance to sign Otani. But did that bump it up, guys? I don't know the

02:16 answer to it. The whole flight stuff and all that, I think that was just irrelevant. I just think

02:19 that that was a misfire. That's all.

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02:23 (upbeat music)