The Los Angeles Dodgers are in prime position to win the NL West, in large part thanks to the work of two-way star and likely NL MVP Shohei Ohtani. Shohei fatigue has set in this September, as some baseball pundits have taken on the second job of joining Kyle Schwarber's campaign. However, even in a season where his pitching prowess was...limited to say the least, the MVP is Ohtani's to lose. The three-time MVP has a 1.018 OPS along with 53 home runs. Ohtani has 7.2 WAR already, and he's barely used one of his best traits.
Whether Ohtani wins MVP or not, he'll be the first to say personal accolades come after team goals. That became incredibly obvious once Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers that includes loads of post-career deferred money. Ohtani invested in the Dodgers front office as much as they agreed to pay him.
In part, Ohtani entrusted the Dodgers with his future on the mound, as well. Los Angeles has brought Shohei back to the mound ever so slowly. Ohtani suffered a UCL tear in 2023 and a left shoulder labrum tear late in 2024. All of that limits his ability to pitch well into the future, and his days as a regular starter in the Dodgers rotation are all but over if the organization knows what is best for them. Ohtani makes enough of an impact in the lineup, why risk an injury that even further limits his potential?
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Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers upset rival contenders with special exemption
This postseason, the Dodgers plan for Ohtani is obvious. Shohei will likely pitch out of the bullpen or open a game, while also serving as a late-game option thanks to his status as the team's DH. As Bob Nightengale explained, this made some of the Dodgers rivals upset.
"Teams are upset that the Dodgers will have one more pitcher than everyone else on their roster since there’s a special exemption for Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player. If Ohtani is a starting pitcher, he can remain in the game as a DH once he’s replaced on the mound. But if he starts the game as a DH and pitches out of the bullpen, the Dodgers would lose the DH once his relief appearance is over. The only way Ohtani could stay in the game would be moving to the outfield, where he hasn’t played since 2021," Nightengale wrote.
The veteran journalist also mentioned that it's unlikely Ohtani plays anything but starting pitcher and DH because of this exemption. If he were to come out of the bullpen, the only way he could stay in the game once his appearance was over would be in the outfield. Ohtani hasn't played in the outfield since 2021.
Complaining about Shohei Ohtani makes Dodgers rivals look weak
It's well-known that Ohtani is a two-way player. If available, he was always going to pitch in the postseason and bat in the lineup. While I can get behind teams complaining about the special exemption the Dodgers received for Ohtani – one which essentially allows them to add another pitcher to an ailing roster – surely fellow NL contenders had to see this coming.
If the Dodgers are to be beaten this postseason, it will be on their own terms. That means a healthy Ohtani who can do it all, and a roster that was built to win the World Series. Nothing less will suffice, and LA's rivals will have to deal with it.