Shohei Ohtani agrees to join Dodgers: Winners and losers from his historic MLB free agency

It finally happened. After weeks of speculation, two-way star Shohei Ohtani has a new team. Ohtani reportedly agreed to a record-breaking, 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.

It’s the type of signing that drastically alters the circumstances for many teams around the sport. The Dodgers obviously stand to benefit most, while the other teams that had been in the running for Ohtani now have to readjust their strategies for the rest of this offseason and into the future.

The impact of Ohtani's deal goes far beyond that, though. Every team, numerous players and countless baseball fans will also be affected by the move.

Here are the biggest winners and losers in the aftermath of Ohtani's free agency.

WINNERS

Shohei Ohtani

Turns out, Ohtani is the player fans were promised back in 2018, and more. When healthy, he is the best player in the game, and that's a title he’s likely to retain as long as he continues to hit and pitch at a high level. The fact that he’s an All-Star-caliber player in both aspects is what led to his mega-contract with the Dodgers. While the injury to his pitching elbow might've depressed his total earnings somewhat, this contract sets Ohtani — and future generations of Ohtanis — up for life and establishes a new standard for superstars in the sport.

Until another player like Ohtani comes along — if another player like Ohtani comes along — this deal could be tough to beat.

The Dodgers

The Dodgers seemed to have been saving up for Ohtani for at least the entire 2023 season, if not longer. They also seemed to be in the running for other top free agents, but Ohtani was certainly the focus of their offseason, and not landing him would've stung. With Ohtani, the Dodgers, who have already been World Series contenders for a solid decade, are likely to be viewed as the best team in baseball. They still need to add pitching to boost a rotation that struggled last season (and won't have Ohtani on the mound until 2025), but the Dodgers won the biggest prize of this offseason with Saturday's news.

Other big-name free agents

With Ohtani off the market, the dam is now broken, and teams, especially those that missed out on Ohtani, can shift their attention to the other prominent free agents available. Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Cody Bellinger are among the players likely to benefit from this signing, as teams should move quickly to finalize deals with them now that the premier free agent is off the board, and the total cost of Ohtani's contract could cause teams to up their offers.

That’s generally how it works in every sport: Once a player sets a new standard, that raises the bar across the league. So while no one else will receive Ohtani-level money, the free agents still available this winter could net a few extra million following his record-breaking payday.

Up-and-coming 2-way prospects

Ohtani is often called a unicorn due to his rare ability to play both ways, but he’s also a blueprint for future two-way players. His mega-deal proved that it can be incredibly lucrative for players to pursue both hitting and pitching on their way to the majors, though that’s much easier said than done. Teams have attempted to develop other two-way players in recent years, but those experiments have mostly failed. Still, teams now have six seasons of Ohtani’s schedule and workload to consider when trying to develop two-way stars, and given Ohtani’s value, there’s incentive for teams to find the next player capable of doing both. In fact, eight players chosen in the 2023 MLB Draft were designated as two-way prospects. If they can retain that status in the majors — and get paid accordingly — they'll have Ohtani to thank.

The rest of the AL West

Players on the Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, rejoice! Ohtani just left your division. You no longer have to flail at devastating splitters that drop off the table or watch as well-located pitches get taken 450 feet to deep right field — at least, not nearly as often. Granted, in recent years, scheduling changes have decreased how frequently divisional foes play one another, so Ohtani's leaving the AL West doesn't have as big of an impact on the division as it would've in the past. Still, Marcus Semien, who has hit .200/.273/.200 in 22 plate appearances against Ohtani, is probably thrilled to see the two-way star head elsewhere, and he likely isn’t the only one who feels that way.

Nez Balelo

If your client signs the richest deal in sports history, you come out a winner in that exchange. And the way Balelo went about securing that deal was unique. He and Ohtani set strict boundaries for teams, threatening to take them out of consideration if they leaked anything about meeting with Ohtani. Of course, there are bigger questions about whether it's good for baseball to have the sport's most marketable star completely shut down the rumor mill and fully dictate the terms of his free agency, but those questions don’t matter to Balelo, who showed his biggest client the money.

Ohtani's dog

With all these millions now in the bank account, Ohtani's pup should be in line for only the best treats in the years to come. He also doesn't have to leave warm and sunny Southern California. As an added bonus, maybe baseball fans will finally learn his name.

LOSERS

The Los Angeles Angels

Angels fans don’t need another reminder of their team’s failures, yet here we are. The Ohtani era is officially over. Somehow, despite featuring Ohtani on a ludicrously cheap contract as well as Mike Trout, it resulted in zero playoff appearances. The organization bears a fair amount of blame for that, as bad signings, failure to develop prospects and refusal to add elite talent kept the team below .500 in every season with Ohtani. To be fair, the club was also hit by some unexpected developments, as Anthony Rendon turned into a pumpkin shortly after he signed with the team and Trout became injury-prone in recent years. But even if we excuse some of the team’s missteps, it’s inexcusable that the Angels couldn’t make it to the postseason with not just one but two generational talents on the roster.

Mike Trout

For years, Trout had Ohtani as his running mate. The two combined to create one of the most fearsome top-of-the-order duos in baseball. The Angels might've lost a lot of 9-8 games over the past six seasons, but they often scored those eight runs thanks to Ohtani and Trout. With Ohtani gone, the Angels have Trout and a lot of reasons to be depressed. No other player on the Angels’ roster strikes fear into opponents, which could lead to Trout seeing a lot of intentional walks in 2024. And if Trout isn’t healthy … there will be very little reason for fans to watch Angels games.

Ron Washington

After nearly a decade as a coach, Ron Washington secured another managing position this offseason. His first task: Turn around a team that just lost the best player in baseball. Washington experienced a lot of success with the Texas Rangers during his first managerial stint, leading the team to a 664-611 record in eight seasons and winning two straight AL pennants, though the Rangers lost in the World Series both times. Turning around the Angels, especially after the loss of Ohtani, is a completely different task. The team never posted a winning record with the two-way star, and the leftovers aren’t going to inspire much confidence. For Washington, getting the Angels back to contention isn’t just going to be difficult; it’s going to be, well, you know the line from “Moneyball.”

The rest of the NL West

Those on the rosters of the Giants, Padres, Diamondbacks and Rockies need to buckle up, as they now have front-row seats to the Shohei Ohtani Show for the next 10 years — and not in a good way. All it takes is a quick glance at Ohtani's stats to know he's nearly impossible to game plan against as both a hitter (44 home runs and 20 steals in 2023) and a pitcher (3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts). And in a lineup that will feature a 1-2-3 punch of Mookie Betts, Ohtani and Freddie Freeman? Best of luck to the pitchers who have to deal with that multiple times per season.

Everyone on social media Friday

Ohtani mania reached a fever pitch online Friday, involving everything from false news reports to opera singers tweeting to fans tracking private jets. At the end of it all, those following along had no more (accurate) information than they did the day before.

The Toronto Blue Jays

Speaking of Friday, all that speculation centered on the notion that Ohtani was signing with the Blue Jays, who were rumored to be among the top finalists for his services. It's impossible to overstate the impact Ohtani would've had on the team's offense and, eventually, its pitching. With star players such as George Springer, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kevin Gausman, Toronto has consistently reached the playoffs in recent years but has not been able to get over the first-round hump. Ohtani would've been the ideal addition to take the team to the next level. Instead, the Blue Jays are on to Plan B.

Every other MLB team

Is it too dramatic to say all the other MLB teams are losers in the Ohtani sweepstakes? Maybe, though Ohtani would've drastically altered the future of any franchise. But in reality, the losers here are Ohtani’s other rejected suitors, notably the Cubs and Giants in addition to the Blue Jays and Angels. For them, his decision represents the end of a long road of hope and efforts to convince Ohtani to join up with them. With Ohtani now out of the picture, the also-rans will need to pivot their offseason strategies and come up with a new plan for 2024 and beyond.