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The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to a record-setting 10-year, $700 million deal while knowing full well that the superstar two-way player won't be pitching at all in 2024. Even then, the signing of Ohtani was as successful as it can be. The 30-year-old Japanese international played as LA's full-time designated hitter and he went on to put up a historic season en route to winning the MVP and a World Series trophy.
Ohtani, however, could somehow end up being a more valuable player for the Dodgers in 2025 now that he's a full year removed from the elbow surgery that has kept him out of the mound since September 2023. And it doesn't look like anything will be stopping Ohtani from becoming a superstar both on the mound and on the plate in 2025 if his words are any indication.
“So far, so good. Everything is going well,” Ohtani said in English in an interview with USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
It's not quite clear if Ohtani will be starting the season in the Dodgers rotation, especially after proving his worth as a full-time hitter. But he is making a historic amount of money for both his pitching and hitting proficiency. There is an expectation that Ohtani will be ready to pitch around April.
Ohtani, of course, is expected to return to being his best self on the mound for the Dodgers after spending a lot of time rehabbing his injuries. He was electric on the mound for the Los Angeles Angels across 74 starts from 2021 to 2023, recording an ERA of 2.84 while striking out 542 in 428.1 innings pitched.
Scary hours are ahead for Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers' rotation
Shohei Ohtani is a cheat code; there is no player in MLB history who could do what Ohtani is doing rather sustainably, and that is to play like an MVP-caliber player on both sides of the ball. And the Dodgers couldn't be any happier that he's returning to the mound, as he'll be joining the likes of Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, and Japanese compatriot Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the rotation.
There is, of course, a chance that Ohtani doesn't perform as well as he did on the mound from 2021 to 2023 after not pitching at all in 2024. But at the very least, his value on the team is safe after recording an incredible 9.1 WAR in 159 games last season thanks to his 54 home runs, 130 runs batted in, 59 stolen bases — all on an elite slash line of .310/.390/.646.
