The Dodgers stole all the headlines this offseason, as they gave out multiple record-breaking deals, traded for an ace and did a bunch of other stuff as well.
Major League Signings
- RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani: 10 years, $700MM ($680MM deferred)
- RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 12 years, $325MM (plus $51MM posting fee; deal includes two opt-outs)
- OF Teoscar Hernández: One year, $23.5MM ($8.5MM deferred)
- LHP Clayton Kershaw: Two years, $10MM (can opt-out after 2024)
- OF Jason Heyward: One year, $9MM
- RHP Ryan Brasier: Two years, $9MM
- RHP Joe Kelly: One year, $8MM
- LHP James Paxton: One year, $7MM
- IF/OF Enrique Hernández: One year, $4MM
- RHP Ricky Vanasco: One year, $900K
2024 spending: $162.9MM (counting Ohtani’s salary as the league-adjusted $46MM; doesn’t include posting fee for Yamamoto)
Total spending: $1.096 billion (adjusting Ohtani’s guarantee to present day value of $460MM makes this number $756.4MM)
Option Decisions
- Team declined $18MM option on RHP Lance Lynn in favor of $1MM buyout
- Team declined $9.5MM option on RHP Joe Kelly in favor of $1MM buyout (later re-signed)
- Team declined $6.5MM option on RHP Daniel Hudson (later re-signed)
- Team declined $3MM option on RHP Alex Reyes in favor of $100K buyout
- Team exercised $1MM option on RHP Blake Treinen
Trades And Claims
- Traded LHP Victor González and IF Jorbit Vivas to Yankees for IF Trey Sweeney
- Acquired RHP Tyler Glasnow and OF Manuel Margot from Rays for RHP Ryan Pepiot and OF Jonny DeLuca
- Traded LHP Bryan Hudson to Brewers for LHP Justin Chambers
- Traded IF Michael Busch and RHP Yency Almonte to Cubs for LHP Jackson Ferris and OF Zyhir Hope
- Traded LHP Caleb Ferguson to Yankees for LHP Matt Gage and RHP Christian Zazueta
- Traded OF Manuel Margot, IF Rayne Doncon and cash to Twins for SS Noah Miller
- Acquired IF Andre Lipcius from Tigers for cash
Notable Minor League Signings
- Daniel Hudson (already selected to roster), Eduardo Salazar, Nabil Crismatt, Travis Swaggerty, Jonathan Araúz, Elieser Hernández, Brendon Davis, Chris Okey, Jesse Hahn, Stephen Gonsalves, T.J. McFarland, Kevin Padlo, Dinelson Lamet, Chris Owings,
Extensions
- RHP Tyler Glasnow: Four years, $111.6MM (includes club/player option for 2028)
- IF Max Muncy: Two years, $24MM (includes 2026 club option)
Notable Losses
- J.D. Martinez, Julio Urías (still unsigned), Shelby Miller, Lynn, Amed Rosario, Jake Marisnick, David Peralta, Kolten Wong, Jimmy Nelson (still unsigned), Alex Reyes (still unsigned)
The Dodgers have already been a powerhouse team for a long time, having won the National League West in 10 of the past 11 seasons. The one exception was 2021, when they won 106 games but somehow were one shy of a surprising 107-win Giants club.
But they still came into this winter hungry for improvements. That 11-year stretch of playoff appearances only led to one World Series title, which was in the shortened 2020 season. The 2023 season ended unpleasantly, despite the club winning 100 games and earning another division title. Their rotation was largely decimated by injuries as the season wore on and they were quickly swept by the Diamondbacks in the NLDS.
With the club looking to make a bold splash and this winter featuring one of the most anticipated free agents of all time, there were many who expected a pairing between the Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani. In fact, it’s something that has been expected for even longer than that.
When Ohtani initially came over from Japan, the Dodgers weren’t a perfect fit since the National League did not yet have the designated hitter, which led Ohtani to pick the Angels. But the NL got the DH in 2022, which started a countdown for many people, just waiting for the two-way superstar’s free agency.
The Dodgers were obviously going to be interested but also made their intentions clear by deciding not to issue a qualifying offer to J.D. Martinez. Under normal circumstances, he would have warranted one, given his strong 33-homer campaign in 2023. But if he had accepted, it would have clogged up the designated hitter spot they wanted to put Ohtani into, so they didn’t risk it.
It probably shouldn’t have been surprising that a player as unique as Ohtani ended up having one of the most unique free agencies. From the outset, it was marked by a strange insistence on secrecy, to the point that clubs would reportedly hurt their chances of signing him if they acknowledged that they were trying to do so. Perhaps the most absurd example of this was when Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins missed the winter meetings and met with reporters via Zoom but wouldn’t tell them he was in Florida, showing Ohtani the club’s Dunedin complex.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts seemed to break protocol when he admitted that he and his club had recently met with Ohtani. Given the cloak-and-dagger nature of the Ohtani free agency and the lack of real information, it seemed genuinely possible that this would actually have a negative impact on the club’s chances of getting the deal done. There was even more worry when there were reports that Ohtani was on a plane to sign with the Blue Jays, but those eventually proved to be inaccurate. The long-awaited Ohtani-Dodgers pairing finally got done with a massive 10-year, $700MM deal.
Or did it? The unicorn player with the bizarre free agency apparently couldn’t sign a normal contract. After news of the deal landed, reports quickly emerged that put the shocking numbers into more context. Despite the $700M price tag, there was some fine print.
Ohtani will actually only make $2MM in each season of the deal and then get $68MM annually, without interest, in the 10 years following the expiration of the deal. He will still get $700MM, but over 20 years instead of 10. Deferred money reduces the present day value of the deal to $46MM annually in the eyes of the league and $43.8MM from the perspective of the MLBPA. Even with those caveats, the approximate $460MM guarantee is still the largest in MLB history. Even the lower of the two AAV numbers puts Ohtani ahead of Max Scherzer for the largest of all-time.
This was perceived by many fans as a way for the club to “dodge” the luxury tax, but MLBTR founder Tim Dierkes argued otherwise at the time. The $46MM competitive balance tax hit the Dodgers will get for Ohtani was in line with most expectations coming into the winter. The $700MM number isn’t truly real, but it’s helpful for the agents to describe it that way.
Regardless of the optics, Ohtani reportedly suggested the structure to multiple teams. The Giants and Blue Jays were willing to pay it, just like the Dodgers, but the Angels were not. The appeal from the player’s perspective is obvious. The $2MM salary is obviously paltry by baseball standards but Ohtani won’t be starving as he has millions coming in via endorsements every year. By kicking his payments down the road, he can ensure the club has more resources to put a winning team around him. And the contract reportedly has language that makes sure they use their savings towards making the club as competitive as possible.
They certainly held up their end of the bargain with the remainder of this offseason. As mentioned, the club’s rotation was snakebit last year. Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin both had surgery last year and couldn’t be counted on to start 2024 healthy. Walker Buehler’s Tommy John was back in 2022 but he still missed all of 2023 and will be handled with care this year. Lance Lynn, Julio Urias and Clayton Kershaw all hit free agency after 2023, making starting pitching an obvious priority for the club.
Kershaw had hit free agency twice before and re-signed with the club but the Dodgers couldn’t rely on the same thing playing out this winter. Kershaw announced in early November that he had undergone shoulder surgery and wouldn’t be able to return until some point this summer. Ohtani wasn’t going to help either, as he underwent some kind of UCL surgery in September and will be limited to hitting only in 2024.
Despite already giving out a record-setting deal, the Dodgers seemed prepared for more, casting a wide net in their search for starting pitching. Throughout the winter, they were connected to high-profile free agents like Blake Snell and Aaron Nola, mid-range guys like Lucas Giolito and Seth Lugo, as well as trade candidates like Dylan Cease, Corbin Burnes and Jesús Luzardo.
Their first big rotation strike came via the trade market, as the Dodgers were able to land Tyler Glasnow from the Rays. With Tampa looking to cut payroll, the Dodgers took on both Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot, sending younger players Ryan Pepiot and Jonny DeLuca the other way.
Glasnow has struggled to stay healthy in his career but has pitched at an ace level when healthy. He overcame a lengthy Tommy John absence in 2023, setting a new career high with 120 major league innings, putting up a 3.53 earned run average in the process. The Dodgers were clearly not scared by the past health issues, as the deal they made with the Rays was conditional on getting an extension done with Glasnow, which they eventually did. The combination of this year’s salary and the four they added on means they are committed to him for five years and $136.5MM.
But they weren’t done there. The market around Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto seemed to get hotter and hotter as the winter nights grew darker. That was a testament not only to his incredible skills but also his age. It’s hard to find an ace in free agency but it’s almost unheard of to get a 25-year-old ace. He comes with no experience in the big leagues but a 1.82 ERA over his seven NPB seasons and little doubt about his ability to handle the show (rough debut notwithstanding).
Due to that rarity, multiple clubs were willing to go over the $300MM mark to land Yamamoto, but the Dodgers ultimately sealed it with a 12-year, $325MM deal. But since Yamamoto had been subject to the posting system, the Dodgers will also have to pay a fee to the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball. Such fees are calculated as a percentage of the deal, so a massive deal means massive fees. This contract led to a $51MM posting fee for the Buffaloes, meaning the Dodgers were effectively paying $376MM to get Yamamoto. Factoring in the club’s luxury tax status means the outlay is even higher. Even before that posting fee, it was the largest guarantee ever given to a pitcher not named Ohtani.
They had one more move to remake their rotation, but it was far more modest than the Glasnow or Yamamoto acquisitions. They signed lefty James Paxton to a one-year deal. It was initially reported an an $11MM guarantee but was later changed to $7MM with incentives. The Dodgers apparently adjusted it down after Paxton’s physical, though they didn’t find anything to scuttle it entirely. Paxton has been oft-injured in recent years, hardly pitching at all from 2020 to 2022, but was able to make 19 starts for the Red Sox last year.
On the position player side of things, the most surprising developments surrounded Mookie Betts. Having spent the vast majority of his career in right field, the Dodgers moved him to the middle infield last year. He came up as a second baseman and had dabbled at that position earlier in his major league career, but the club was evidently impressed enough to make him their everyday guy at the keystone coming into 2024. More on that later.
With Betts moving to the infield, there was room for additions in the outfield. Jason Heyward was re-signed to a one-year deal, but he was effectively replacing himself. He had a nice bounceback for the Dodgers in 2023, being limited to a strong-side platoon role. The Dodgers were frequently connected to Teoscar Hernandez and were able to get him to sign a one-year deal as well, adding yet another potent bat to their lineup.
With Hernandez and Heyward set to join an outfield mix with James Outman, Margot started to seem a bit unnecessary. He could platoon with Heyward but they also had Chris Taylor on hand for that. They eventually decided to send Margot to the Twins and use the $4MM they saved to sign Enrique Hernandez instead. He can also hit from the right side and play the outfield, but his ability to play the infield gave them a bit of extra cover for Betts and third baseman Max Muncy.
But the position player mix had one more twist to come in spring. The Dodgers planned on having Gavin Lux, who missed all of 2023 due to a knee injury, as their everyday shortstop. But he struggled with some consistency in his throws this spring, an issue he’s had in the past. The Dodgers quickly decided to flip Betts and Lux, a move that Roberts described as “permanent for now.”
This put the Dodgers in the wild position of having committed over a billion dollars this winter (kind of) but somehow ending up with a 31-year-old right fielder as their everyday shortstop. Betts briefly played the position last year, getting into 16 games. That’s already the most ever games at the position for a guy after winning multiple Gold Gloves in the outfield, per Sarah Langs of MLB, highlighting how unprecedented this experiment is.
Many fans grew tired of hearing about the Dodgers this winter, as the club was incredibly active while many others sat on their hands. But the fact is that they were doing so many interesting things that it was hard to look away. No one had ever given a free agent $500MM before, let alone $600MM or $700MM. It turns out the Dodgers didn’t really do any of those either, but the bizarre deferral structure of Ohtani’s deal was itself interesting and unprecedented. They gave the largest guarantee ever to a pitcher that isn’t a two-way player. And they gave it to a guy with no major league experience. They put their MVP candidate right fielder at shortstop.
They did all of that and more, adding multiple bats and arms to a club that has already been a dominant force for over a decade. After getting Ohtani and making all of these other moves, the expectations will be even higher from now on. For the next 10 years, the club has Ohtani on the roster and is only paying him $2MM per year, a pittance in this league. All the chips are on the table and anything short of a World Series in that time will be counted by many as a failure.
A grade for the off-season may have to wait until Ohtani’s links to organized crime are fully fleshed out.
he got married for three reasons:
spousal
testimonial
privilege
Those are 3 words, yet slightly shy of 3 reasons. But I get your point in the online conspiratorial commenter way things tend to go in recent times.
it’s fun to get way ahead of myself while waiting for details
Can you gamble money that’s deferred to 2093? #LA needs Bauer -it would take some focus away from this $hit. Couldn’t have happened to a better team and city.
What’s to be done at 3B for defense? Not sure want Mookie playing SS. Other than than awesome off season.
What’s to be done? If it’s going to be Muncy at third, grabbing some rosary beads might be your only answer. He sure can hit, but at third he really is OMG-level bad. And for all of Mookie’s athleticism and enthusiasm, he’s not a shortstop – lots of ground balls are going to be “just out of his reach.” The LA pitchers are going to be frustrated.
Why did both the media and the MLBPA do nothing about the clear collusion to keep Barry Bonds out of the game? He had an OPS over 1.000 in his final season and not a single team wanted him? Get real.
You have a selective memory. Bonds was indicted in 2007. Any team that signed him would have had to worry about legal issue, public relations, etc. Since many players took steroids, by the time 2007 rolled along, lots of these guys were never caught and wanted no ties to Bonds to continue flying under the radar. It wasn’t collusion, he was just no guarantee to play and he would be a headache and PR nightmare.
@bigB96
You hee we be the selective memory. Bonds was busted for steroids 4 years before 2007. MLB waited until he broke the HR record and then black balled him. I hate bonds and I know this.
Having hate is just begging for a more palpable malignancy.
Apparently “selective memory” goes around or simply not knowing all the facts.
Bonds was indicted for perjury November of 2007, after that no team signed him. It had nothing to do about the home run record or using the cream and the clear. Bonds had a contract that ran through 2006, then the Giants signed him to a one year deal for 2007.
Barry Bonds was difficult to get along with.
Hot take: just a C. Massively overpaid guys and yet they still only have half a healthy rotation and the bottom third of their lineup is poor.
I think they’ll get by
That Ohtani deferral changes things in my opinion. I give them a solid A.
The bottom third of their lineup is “fine,” not “poor”
That’s funny coming from a Phillies fan. You could say the exact same thing about the overrated and top heavy Phils
Yeah. They’re very overrated. World Series followed by NLCS. The Phillies are pure garbage.
That was sarcasm. Bad take.
How much money did the Phillies make the owner? That is how VonPurpleHayes says you should judge successfulness of a franchise. How rich you can make an owner.
2022 they finished 8th in revenue
Currently 9th most valuable franchise.
Good but not great. Gotta be in top 5.
That is how owners evaluate a successful franchise was my point. And I think the Phillies owner is pretty happy with that result. Honestly, he wants to win a championship because that brings in a ton more revenue, but back-to-back deep playoff runs were certainly a good thing for fans and the owner.
And my point was not to insult the Padres. It was to nullify your silly criticisms about the Dodgers ownership group, who have been praised around the league for building a consistent playoff contender, while maintaining a highly profitable organization.
The Padres have spent a ton, and I praise them for trying to build a contender. Even though they had to cutback this season, they still put out a contender. I have them making the playoffs.
Point of baseball is to win a world series. Thats why we play the games.
“silly criticism”
It’s silly to think “well ownership became richer” is an acceptable alternatively to the billions Dodgers have spent on payroll, scouting, trainers, etc and have failed to win it all.
It’s even sillier to think fans should be fine with making rich people richer paying high prices to attend games and purchase food + drinks. “oh its ok your team didnt win it all, least you made rich people richer” said no one ever.
The amount of money dodgers have put into winning a championship has been an absolute failure by baseball standards. Been spending 200 mill on payroll last 20 something years.
By business standards they’re doing an excellent job. But fans don’t support teams in the hopes they make rich people richer. There is no parade for “most revenue created in the mlb this season”. There is a parade for the world series winner.
“It’s even sillier to think fans should be fine with making rich people richer paying high prices to attend games and purchase food + drinks. “oh its ok your team didnt win it all, least you made rich people richer” said no one ever.”
Spending more on payroll does not increase the price of ticket sales and food/drink from vendors. That’s all demand based. The Dodgers are one of the top markets and are always going to sell tickets at a premium, even when they aren’t spending big. It’s simple demand.
You’re speaking from an average fan perspective, and I agree, but you have to understand that this is still a big business. There are financial goals that need to be met. Of course everyone wants to win a World Series. No one can deny that the Dodgers are trying to do that. They’ve been pretty successful getting to the postseason consistently. They are a perennial contender. Their fanbase has seen consistent growth. So the idea that fans won’t support them is false.
The Phillies are like the dodgers east but with worse defense.
What’s the difference between the two? One overpaid for Nola, one for Yamamoto.
I swear Philly fans are clueless like everyone says they are
Profile avatar fits.
Glasnow, Miller, Yamamoto, Paxton, and Stone seems like a pretty solid 1-5. Having Kershaw, Buehler, Sheehan, and potentially May in reserve as reinforcements as the season goes on puts them in an excellent position overall.
Outman, Heyward, and Lux isn’t the top 7-9 in the league but it is still quite decent.
Anything dodgers accomplish this season comes with an * long as ohtani is playing. His former interpreter already implicated him in illlegql gambling dealings. Just cause you “recant” doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be invested and while it is invested ohtani should be on paid leave until it’s sorted out.
The inaction by mlb is weakness.
Mizuhara had stated that he and Ohtani sent multiple wire transfers to the bookmaker in installments; ESPN observed two transfers at $500K apiece in Ohtani’s name.
Needs to be on administrative leave until the truth as to why his name is on a list showing two 500k transfers.
It was sent to pay off gambling debts, what’s the problem? As long as it wasn’t on baseball, who cares? No victim, no crime.
Even if it was just that, still a felony in CA.
Yeah it’s a felony like smoking a joint in public is a felony in some states, but nobody actually gets cited for that.
There is not a single state where you will get a felony for smoking a joint.
Uh, yes they do. They do prison time for illegal gambling
See that’s the problem, you want to Believe it’s a-okay but in reality because it’s shohei ohtani it’ll be swept under the rug and no one should bat an eye, but if it were you or me tied up in organized crime we’d be thrown under the jail no questions asked. Famous people shouldn’t get away with crime just because they are famous, while normal regular people get put in jail and lives ruined over stuff a lot less serious than the things ohtani could potentially be involved with. And as your joint reference tries to point out that nobody gets cited for that try living in Alabama where people are put in jail for a lot less than a joint, try a joint roach or something as petty as a grinder. My mom got arrested on a felony because she legally had a gun on her, licensed and all but because she had literally a little roach in the car her having a gun meant she got charged with illegally concealing a firearm while in possession of drugs but also got charged with criminal endangerment and drug possession. So your state might not bat an eye but here in Alabama nothing goes unnoticed. And again famous people shouldn’t get anymore rights than the average Joe gets, it’s not fair one bit and he deserves to face repercussions if he was found to be in any way involved in this mess.
That really sucks what happened to your Mom. Seems way too excessive beyond belief. I appreciate your perspective here, it’s helpful.
An asterisk? Ohtani didn’t bet on baseball, matter of fact right now he didn’t bet on anything!
You don’t know that.
Neither does…wait checks notes…anyone! But we do already know that baseball wasn’t on the list of sports Ippei bet on. So already we can eliminate the thinking that this is a Pete Rose scenario.
Do we know that baseball wasn’t bet on? Isn’t the only source the guy who told two different stories in two days?
We do not know if baseball was bet on. Is there any way to ascertain what bets were actually made with illegal bookie?? I guess if only illegal bookie kept the receipts/kept records. (Or if somehow Shohei has a record of every bet, but they would need a search warrant blah blah blah to look thru all his financial records.)
Ippei didn’t change his story, and in his story he never said he bet on baseball. What changed was Ohtani’s lawyers then accused him of stealing the money that Ohtani was giving him to pay off his debt. Ohtani’s camp have turned this over to the authorities, why would they lie here?
@Salzilla One possibility is that Ippei’s first story was true except for the part where Ohtani was involved. It could be Ippei had access to these funds and paid off the bookie using Ohtani’s money behind his back. And so at first, when Ohtani finally came to the realization of what happened, it felt like a betrayal and theft. BUT given the close relationship of the two guys. I would say Ohtani is not going to press charges against his buddy and would have likely gladly paid of his gambling debt regardless. These two are closer than brothers.
That’s what Ippei said. But then again, he said a lot of things, then recanted/changed his story a day later?
The biggest problem is that Ippei only changed the narrative *after* he spoke with Ohtani’s lawyers, which was after they encouraged him to meet with and confess to ESPN regarding what transpired.
I think most people believe that Ippei was likely forthcoming and honest during the ESPN interview, not realizing the implications of Ohtani’s participation in paying off illegal gambling debts. Then, after Ohtani’s *criminal defense* attorneys accused him of lying and stealing money, he changes his story about Ohtani’s benevolence and asserts Ohtani didn’t pay anything.
Keep in mind, it is not easy to wire such large sums of money. There are multiple checks and balances to ensure wired money is not done fraudulently. Is the reason why FBI discovery of wired money in an illegal transaction is such strong evidence in federal cases.
Either way, MLB’s blatant blind eye (at this time) seems woefully insufficient absent clear evidence vindicating Ohtani. A recanted statement from his best friend, After a direct criminal accusation by the same person, demands an impartial investigation, regardless of who may end up as the guilty party. MLB’s overt silence and inaction on this screams…scandal.
This story is only about 24 hours old. Don’t act as if it’s all being swept under the rug until if and when it actually has. Jesus, let’s give people time to find out the facts before making bold proclamations and trying to punish Ohtani.
Vin: MLB’s position should be to investigate to see what occurred. That could exonerate Ohtani as well. Their current position is that they are not going to investigate this. That’s concerning because it’s only 24 hours old!
His name is on a ledger observed by espn, twice. Two different transfers.
Putting him on paid leave isn’t punishing ohtani. He still gets paid while it’s sorted out and investigated.
Why would an interpreter have access to ohtanis funds.
How many of your friends have access to your bank account(s) or money in general? How many of your parents siblings cousins aunts uncles?
The only funds ippei had access to were his paychecks from ohtani. Unless ohtani was an idiot and wrote blank checks and said pay yourself whatever you like but that wouldn’t be theft.
Only person I can think of that has access to a bank account is my wife as we share a joint bank account to pay bills. We have individual bank accounts but put each other on the account in the event something happens. But I don’t know her info she doesn’t know mine.
It is still illegal in California to bet on sports. Doesn’t matter if it was or wasn’t baseball. Baseball saying it’s ok to bet on non baseball sports doesn’t supersede state or federal laws
Just like NFL NBA MLB being more chill about pot and testing doesn’t supersede state or federal laws regarding pot.
The crazy part is all ohtani and his friend had to do was fly out to Vegas an hour away and place bets there. Completely legal in that state.
Why didn’t they go to Vegas? Well it’s recorded on what you place bets on and how much. So if he was placing bets on baseball it’d get flagged real quick. If the interpreter was placing bets on baseball it’d get flagged real quick too.
And yes. An *. If he’s involved in committing felonies he should be on administrative leave. Bauer got put on administrative leave for being accused of crimes. A crime is a crime.
It’s no different than NCAA voiding things like wins if a player was playing but should have been ineligible for whatever reason.
It ultimately doesn’t matter who paid off the gambling debt, we know it came from Shohei’s accounts. The only thing of pertinence in this entire affair is if any of the bets were placed on baseball. Other than that, nothing to see here folks.
The crucial point you’re all missing on your way to a vendetta against Ohtani is that his lawyers have already put in to be investigated by the authorities. Like if they didn’t have a case against Ippei shouldn’t they just be prepping to defend Shohei instead? I don’t see why he should be placed on leave unless he is being investigated. Right now he’s the one putting out the accusation. And as far as how’d he have access to his accounts, the dude did everything for him for years. He wasn’t just his interpreter he was his personal assistant and the closest person to him for years when in the US. You think he didn’t have access to his information when he was the one probably doing a lot of his every day banking? Again there’s a more likely reason why Ohtani’s camp changed course here other than conspiracy.
Paying off the debt is the crime
Gambling in CA is illegal
Any debt you accrue from illegal activities is still a crime
Paying off said debt is also a crime, the common term would be co conspirator aka someone helping you in the process of committing a crime.
Unknowingly helping someone committing a crime doesn’t make you immune from legal ramifications. .
“oh he was paying off a friends debt”
Debt from an illegal gambling scheme that he is now apart of , knew about, and did not do anything to alert authorities about.
Under California Penal Code Section 31, anyone who aids, abets, or encourages the commission of a crime is considered an accessory to that crime. This can include various actions, from providing materials to committing the crime to simply encouraging or assisting the perpetrator.
An interpreter is not a financial manager. Not even in the slightest.
You seriously think Ohtani let his friend handle his finances with no actual degree, experience, or any thing of the sorts regarding finances when dealing with MILLIONS of dollars? Yeah no. Use your brains and read what you write before you post it cause that just sounds dumb. His agent? Sure believable. Ippei isn’t his agent.
Ippei engaged in illegal gambling. Thats indisputable.
In Ohtani’s case we need to know
Did he also engage in illegal gambling? Not legal in CA
Did he aide and abet his former interpreter by paying off debts or giving money where Ippei knowingly was going to engage in illegal activites? Also not legal in CA
Under California Penal Code Section 31, anyone who aids, abets, or encourages the commission of a crime is considered an accessory to that crime. This can include various actions, from providing materials to committing the crime to simply encouraging or assisting the perpetrator.
“PLEASE LEAVE OHTANI ALONE” crying face vibes.
No. No one should be above the law or given special treatment.
Sweet you can write a lot on your quest to be right here when there’s not much known yet other than what I already wrote. Let’s see how it shakes out. It’s not all that black and white.
It’s being investigated already. They didn’t need Ohtani’s lawyers to ask. You’re right that we should wait on all the facts to come out, but this smells bad
The question you need to ask is: Why would Ohtani have criminal defense* attorneys ask for something to be investigated on his behalf. That makes no sense, unless he hired criminal defense attorneys to defend him in an investigation….
Well, thats one way to deflect from suggesting weird things like “his friend has access to his bank accounts, trust me bro, its pretty common everyone does it”
Either way
Ohtani needs to be put on paid administrative leave until its investigated and hes cleared of any wrong doing by an independent party.
I mean MLB “investigated” Trevor Bauer and took an entire legal process for evidence to come out, including text messages, for him to clear his name. So I don’t trust an MLB investigation.
I’m not deflecting, I’m telling you what a personal assistant does. I mean he’s not his friend first, he’s his employee.
Because it’s a criminal offense to steal someone’s money? Huh? I mean I’m not even out here in full defense I’m just reading things at face value instead of jumping to conclusions. If things go south for him, things go south, but right now from the info we do have I don’t see it and I don’t see how anyone can be calling for him to be put on leave or any other measure of punishment without sorting through what exactly is going on. And I’m not talking about us here, it’s their job to sort and figure it out.
Well, put on leave is just for purposes of the investigation. It’s a normal measure where he still gets paid. I could understand if it were an accusation only. BUT, the FBI tied Ohtani’s account to large transactions with an illegal gambling ring first, then:
– Ohtani’s own reps said Ohtani sent money to pay off Ippei’s debts;
– Moreover, Ohtani’s own reps told ESPN to conduct an exclusive, 90-min interview with Ippei, who confirmed Ohtani sent the money on his behalf multiple times;
– ESPN verified independently two separate transactions in the amount of $500K from Ohtani’s account t with Ohtani’s name on them to pay the illegal bookie.
-ESPN also confirmed that “multiple sources” told them Ohtani paid for Ippei while also admonishing Ippei to stop gambling.
-Last, Ohtani’s camp only changed their story *after* Ohtani’s criminal defense became involved.
The totality of evidence (both documents and testimonial) is plenty enough evidence to place him in an administrative leave while conducting a fair and impartial investigation, imho.
And I’m sure the minute he is accused of ANYTHING he will be. Until then, though, y’all playing…checks calendar…Friday morning (afternoon already, let’s stop, ooof) lawyerbacks are barking up the wrong tree which right now is firmly planted in Ippei’s yard.
I think I’m missing where he’s not being accused of something. The mere evidence of his account wiring money to an illegal bookie is substantial enough to warrant an investigation by MLB (who is not under the same burden as the law, who is conducting an investigation contemporaneously). Combine that with Ohtani’s own camp’s statements and that plenty.
If your assertion is that the FBI needs to make an accusation directly against Ohtani then I respectfully disagree. The only ones who said Ohtani was not involved were his criminal defense attorneys.
Im sorry, but where has it been said anywhere that he’s being accused of anything yet? Yes his account is involved, but the person being investigated from what we know thus far is Ippei. That’s why you haven’t seen any movement from MLB yet, especially since the guy accused has already been fired. And honestly I don’t think you’ll see anything happen unless the authorities inform MLB that Shohei is going to be investigated further.
Okay, I think I understand your perspective now. I certainly agree with your last sentence as well. To clarify my opinion, I think they should investigate to determine if he did anything wrong given the available information. The accusation part is a non-factor for me because of the account wiring. I think we may just have different views on the guidelines for when an investigation should be launched
Personal assistants don’t handle finances unless they have the ability and knowledge to handle finances.
You’re not going to trust a dude with millions of dollars and your bank account information because he’s your friend that threw pitches to you during the home run derby. But sure I’m sure ohtani definitely trusted his friend to handle his finances instead of having someone with actual experience do such. Totally believable.
Ohtani gave money to a bookie in CA which is a crime.
“Idk why someone would ask he be put on admin leave when there’s evidence he committed a crime”
Yeah that’s a hard one to understand.
Accused? He, his former interpreter, his camp have publicly admitted to a crime. They accused themselves of committing a crime participating in illegal gambling operations.
Mlb can put anyone on administrative leave if they deem it necessary. In this case, it is necessary cause they already implicated themselves in commiting misdemeanor level possibly felony level crimes depending on how much money is involved, intent, etc.
There is 0 chance Ohtani wasn’t aware and 0 chance its theft because to move 4.5 million dollars and installments of 500,000 via wiring TWICE banks have limits and would need approval of account holders to move such large sums.
The whole “oh he had access to his accounts” is BS in many ways.
Oh and if you move out x amount of money you have to report it to IRS. So tax evasion could be soon.
Federal law says if you move 10,000 or more out of your bank it has to be legally, required by law, reported to IRS
Bank restrictions limit electronic withdraws without approvals from account holder because they have to report movements of large sums and can get in serious trouble if they moved large sums without approval of account holders.
Totally had access to Ohtani’s account and Ohtani totaly knew nothing about it. Right.
Dude these guys were closer than blood brothers. Known each other for years. Ippei said he sees more of Ohtani than even his own wife. Ippei is not just “the interpreter” or “the batting practice pitcher” …these two have been joined at the hip for years, and yes I do think it’s believable that Ohtani trusted him enough to leave some accounts in his charge. (Not saying that was smart, it would be a very naive & financially unsaavy thing for Ohtani to do.)
ISOB: Yes, reportedly they were friends even in high school. If your response was to me (sorry, I cannot tell with the way these threads are), I believe that it is a plausible theory Ohtani’s guy has access. But, I do believe an investigation is warranted to determine that also. Sorry for further clogging the thread if your response was not to me, man.
Sorry Clip, that one was to Easy. (But it looks like he deleted the comment I was replying to…which may have made it seem like my response was to you lol) I should have addressed it to Play at any rate, sorry for the confusion.
I just picture Mazuhara in the box being grilled by a police interrogator. “So I’m confused here. You told me one story, and already you changed it. Were you lying to me then, or are you lying to me now?”
Regardless of the truth, the question is how aggressive the media will be in pursuing the truth. If they are relentless in their efforts which would include bugging the hell out of teammates in every city they play in , does it effect moral thus damage team chemistry. And then there are the opposing team fans and how intensely vocal they could possibly be when Blue is on the road. We’ll see.
Anyway you interpret it, the Dodgers made a huge wager with all these moves. I bet they like their chances this year.
Dodgers get a B from me because they chose not to sign Willie Mays. Also Koufax is still out there.
Mickey Tettleton surprisingly remains unsigned too.
Rob Deer also. These guys are ready. Why aren’t the Dodgers?
Mookie is still unsigned, too. I never expected Mr. Wilson to last this long. Crazy!
Greg bird?
They did bring kemp back
Shawn Kemp, The Rainman?
WIll wait till a little later in the season to know if their moves really pan out… Especially after watching Yamamoto last only 1 inning and serve up 5 runs…
That’s why you need to see the games played before annointing the …
It’s basically still spring training and both teams went bananas. No pitcher was safe today.
Unfortunately it’s the Real season for the Dodgers & Padres… So not the greatest of starts to a MLB Career…
Solid 103 win team
I’m not a hater per se… but I’ve never wanted to see a 73 win LA team any more than I do right now.
But maybe in a broader context
I’m not Dodgers fan but the “F” voters are 100% just trolls right?
The F may not be a letter grade.
So a couple things have happened since this write up…
dodger offseason in a nutshell:
spent a billion dollars on a degenerate gambler and a SP who cant make it out of the 1st inning.
here’s the dodger offseason next year:
dave roberts fired
yamamoto sent back to tokyo
ohtani banned for life after its revealed he bet 100x more on baseball than pete rose
Stop stop I can only get so excited
Long form reading here.
TL;DR
Jesus?
Jesus? Nyah, good career but weakest of the Alou brothers. Both Matti and Felipe had better careers.
(Alou brothers. Answer to trivia question.)
Skeptical,
I was referring to Luzardo, not one member of the only all-brothers outfield.
Or was I?
It’s kinda seeming like shohei’s interpreter is taking the fall. They’re guarding his locker refusing to talk to media, it comes out when they’re having an overseas series. Guarantee mlb squashes it since he make them so much money, but it’s very curious
It’s never good when the story keeps changing… I hope truth comes to light, either way. The Feds are up in it so we’ll see.
The deferrals in Ohtani’s contract reduce total spending by about $240M, not the $340M listed.
Shohei Ohtani needs to be put on unpaid leave until an investigation is done!
Why? Was he accused of anything?
His interpreter did, then changed his story.
Is he Ippei? Heck Ohtani is accusing the dude of stealing from HIM!
So, assumed guilty until proven innocent?
That’s been the MLB way for some time now.
most of you have no f-in clue what you are talking about. the facts will clarify. what say we wait for them instead of spouting unfounded drivel.
The baseball gods are not pleased with the Dodgers in 2024. This will become more obvious in the months to come.
I rest my case regarding drivel.
Degenerate gambler, sham marriage, and AAAA pitcher being paid 325 million. And we’re just getting started. Sorry, buddy. Gonna be a tough year.
you are an idiot
Mookie can’t cover ss and 3b at the same time. Lot of balls getting through the left side this year. Ouch. I don’t know, maybe try Rojas at 3rd?
Hey you got one right! One out of three ain’t bad.
I’m just hoping that the Dodgers can swing up a trade for Jordan Lyles and shore up that rotation.
Whichever way this plays out, will this be in his head thus have an effect on his daily on field performance?
Only the baseball gods know the answer to that question, my friend. And they’re pissed the Dodgers dropped a billion and defererred most if it.
Vin Scully
JackHoff,
I’d only be disappointed if they signed Bauer.
Every time a bell rings, a Dodger hater gets his buffalo wings
What looked so splendid a few days ago.
Both were gamblers this could get ugly. I called it first… Dodgers cancel contract.
If only you had a national platform so you could get the recognition you so richly deserve.
As a fan of another team’s laundry, I’m delighted with the sudden turmoil.
As a fan of baseball, I hope Ohtani is simply naive.
Say it ain’t Sho, Joe
I give them a B cuz It’s been known Muncy is crap at defense and we did nothing about it
BB
“It’s been known Muncy is crap at defense and we did nothing about it
These are the dumbest comments
Trolls only look at the negative
“This was perceived by many fans as a way for the club to “dodge” the luxury tax, but MLBTR founder Tim Dierkes argued otherwise at the time. The $46MM competitive balance tax hit the Dodgers will get for Ohtani was in line with most expectations coming into the winter.”
reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1bcvvqw/passan_the_…
The comments are predictably
You’re leaving us hanging here Dog.
Can we all agree Dave Roberts will be fired if they don’t win it all this year?
MG
LOL, no
Their offseason looked a lot better before the last couple of weeks when their infield defense collapsed and the Ohtani scandal came out lol…
Duck da fodgers
The Dodgers can
Sux it