Los Angeles Lakers Entangled in Secretive Dodgers Move to Boost Chances of Acquiring Shohei Ohtani
The Los Angeles Dodgers will leave no stone unturned. As the halfway point of the 2023 season approaches, more and more eyes are turning to Shohei Ohtani. Notably, Ohtani is playing his last season with the Los Angeles Angels before hitting free agency. Since it’s been unofficially stated before that he would prefer the West Coast, the LA Dodgers are already making a sneaky move.
Much like what happened with Aaron Judge last season, MLB clubs will be lined up like suitors to offer him contracts. MLB analysts have made predictions on what team the Japanese wonder could land with, and the Dodgers are near the top. After all, careful business moves are their specialty.
The Dodgers play a chess-like move to acquire Shohei Ohtani
Ever since Andrew Friedman joined the team as President of Baseball Operations, the Dodgers have done exceptionally well. The front office’s ability to bet on players that the rest have given up on, and then benefit from those bets, is how they do business. Sure, Shohei Ohtani is no diamond in the rough, but that is exactly why everyone wants a piece of him.
As the team hosted their LA counterparts, the Angels, at Dodger Stadium recently, there was a special event planned. Japanese Heritage Night held during this exact timetable shows some clever string-pulling from behind the scenes. All eyes have already been on Shohei Ohtani anyway, and this move ensures he won’t be leaving the spotlight anytime soon.
What a not-so-subtle reminder to the two-way phenom. Should he choose to sign with the Dodgers, not only will he remain in the city he has played in since 2018, but also experience Japanese culture to the fullest!
The night also had a few special guests, one of whom is an acquaintance of Ohtani.
Los Angeles Lakers’ Rui Hachimura throws out the first pitch as a special guest
Japanese Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium was full of celebratory events for the East Asian culture. Among the many invited guests was Rui Hachimura, a forward for the LA Lakers. Ohtani and Hachimura have struck up something of a friendship over the years. Ohtani even attended a Lakers game to watch Hachimura and clicked a few pictures that became fan favorites.
Last night, Hachimura threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium. A radio host even asked him recently if he could help the Dodgers recruit Ohtani! But the NBA player shrugged off the question with a laugh.
Do you want to see Shohei Ohtani stay in LA with the Dodgers? Or would you rather see him on another team?
