How the Dodgers Stack Up in the NL West with Addition of Shohei Ohtani

The league’s biggest free agent is off the board, as Shohei Ohtani announced that he is joining the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani’s signing will send shockwaves throughout the Majors, but how much better does the Dodgers lineup get with Ohtani? Well, the Dodgers already have a strong lineup. But, it just got significantly deeper.

A Look at Ohtani

The Dodgers were frugal last offseason, as Los Angeles sought short-term deals in the hopes of keeping money free for Shohei Ohtani. Now, that work has paid off.

The Dodgers landed Ohtani, the 2023 AL MVP who led MLB in OPS (1.066), total bases (325), and led the AL in home runs (44) despite missing nearly the final month of the year.

There’s not much to dissect regarding Ohtani, as the 29-year-old possesses plus speed, plus-plus bat speed, and an above-average eye that allows him to stay back and blast any mistake made in the zone. Put that all together, and you’ll find one of the game’s top-five hitters today.

Ohtani’s proven himself to be one of the game’s elite sluggers over the past three seasons. The two-way sensation finished fourth in total home runs (124) between 2021-23, behind only Aaron Judge (138), Matt Olson (127), and Kyle Schwarber (124).

He also finished in the top five in both wOBA (.397) and wRC+ (157).

With the addition of Ohtani, the Dodgers now have three of the top six in the Majors last season in wRC+: Ohtani (1st – 180), Mookie Betts (4th – 167), and Freddie Freeman (6th – 163).

Ohtani himself is also one of the best starters in the game, thanks to a hard fastball, wicked sweeping slider, and a litany of other pitches. The 29-year-old struck out 542 batters over 428.1 IP between 2021-23 and finished fourth in the AL Cy Young Award vote in 2022.

Shohei Ohtani whiff map as a pitcher 2023 — Opposing batters hit less than .200 off the splitter, four-seamer, and sweeper against Ohtani. While he gets plenty of misses right on the corner glove side, the reality is that Ohtani’s stuff as a pitcher can pretty much beat anyone so long as it’s close.

He won’t be available to pitch in 2024 thanks to a second Tommy John surgery. However, his agent did re-iterate his desire to pitch in the future and would line up as the ace of the Dodgers’ staff should he return to the mound.

The deal — 10 years and $700MM — is the largest ever handed out to a Major League player. Per ESPN, most of his salary will be deferred. This will allow the Dodgers to spend and soften the short-term costs and effects of Ohtani’s signing.

Analysis

Look, no team can have enough offense or pitching. That much was proven true this past season for Los Angeles.

For as much as the Dodgers‘ key arms fell through in the NLDS this past October to the Diamondbacks, Los Angeles’ bats do bear some of the blame. After all, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman batted a combined 1-21 in the series.

With Shohei Ohtani in tow, the Dodgers now have a deep, deep lineup that LA will hope keeps on humming even if a star or two falls into a slump.

Between the three former MVPs, Will Smith, Max Muncy, and an emerging star in James Outman, among others, Los Angeles has — at least on paper — the best trio in all of MLB, plus depth to spare.

Although, it’s debatable that the Dodgers have the best overall lineup. The Braves lineup — which led all of MLB in 2023 — is set to be full of sluggers yet again, even if Atlanta does choose to move on from Marcell Ozuna. Atlanta had four of the top 21 in the league in wRC+ last season, double what the Dodgers had without Ohtani.

As for Ohtani, he can now look ahead all while sticking in southern California.

There are obvious benefits for Ohtani staying in Los Angeles: he remains in the region he’s settled in after six seasons with the Angels, he joins a high-profile team for a player that’s heavily promoted by the league and promotion sponsors and a competitive team that’s been in the MLB Postseason consistently.

Another positive to joining the Dodgers is that Ohtani may very well be able to continue being a part of a six-man rotation once he returns. Thanks to a young group of starters that includes Gavin Stone, Ryan Pepiot, Emmet Sheehan, and Bobby Miller, as well as Tony Gonsolin, the Dodgers do have the depth to make one work should LA choose to go that route.

As for the Dodgers, Los Angeles now further cements themselves as the team to take down in the NL West. No team in the NL West has the lineup the Dodgers do on paper in a 162-game season. For reference, the Diamondbacks have two of the top 20 in wRC+ from last season, while San Diego has zero.

However, the Dodgers already had an elite team before this move. The signing of Ohtani is one geared toward the playoffs — where anything can happen — and the hopes of a second World Series title in five seasons.