4x MVP Shohei Ohtani Defends Dodgers Amid Backlash Regarding Spending

Shohei Ohtani came to the defense of his team for their spending as they once again splashed the cash in the offseason.

4x MVP Shohei Ohtani Defends Dodgers Amid Backlash Regarding Spending

Shohei Ohtani (Image via Fox News)

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The Los Angeles Dodgers do not shy away when it comes to spending money and improving their team. In the past few years, they have received severe criticism regarding their spending. On Wednesday, 4-time MLB MVP Shohei Ohtani defended his team over this.

In the 2023 offseason, the Dodgers spent over $1 billion in order to sign Ohtani and his Japanese teammate, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They ended up winning the World Series in 2024 by beating the New York Yankees in 5 games.

Following this win, the Dodgers flexed their financial muscles again. They roped in stars like Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, Roki Sasaki and re-signed some of their top names. What followed next? The Dodgers won the World Series once again.

In 2025, the LA-based side repeated as champions by knocking down the Toronto Blue Jays in the Fall Classic. In a topsy-turvy series, the Dodgers came back to win Game 6 and then mounted a massive comeback in Game 7 to win 5-4 in extra innings.

The Dodgers thus became the first team in 25 years to go back-to-back as champions. Since that triumph in November, the team has made some more major moves.

The team first roped in 3-time All-Star Edwin Diaz from free agency. After the closing pitcher opted out of his deal with the New York Mets, he turned down the offer of his former team to re-join them and instead picked the Dodgers on a 3-year, $69 million deal.

They then caused a major outrage among fans with the signing of Kyle Tucker. The former Houston Astros star agreed to join them on a 4-year, $240 million deal.

Like many Dodgers contracts, his deal has some deferrals. The team will also pay him just $1 million in salary this year and give him $64 million as a signing bonus.

All of this has left the MLB fans fuming. In an interview with NBC on Wednesday, Ohtani defended the moves of his team. The two-way star claimed that the money the Dodgers make from the fans through tickets and other sales is then used to spend on players to improve the team.

I think what the ownership group has done is great. Obviously the fans pay money, they buy tickets and they come to the game. So I think that money is being used back to sign these great players and put out a winning product on the field.

Shohei Ohtani said on NBC

When it comes to the Average Annual Value (AAV), the Dodgers have the two biggest contracts in Ohtani and Tucker. However, due to their deferred payments, the team will pay just $3 million combined to these two superstars.

At the moment, the Dodgers are estimated to have a payroll close to $400 million. As per Spotrac, the team has over $2.1 billion in deferred payments.

Shohei Ohtani expresses desire to three-peat the World Series title

Shohei Ohtani’s first two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers have seen the team win the World Series twice. Like every other athlete, the Japanese international now wants to three-peat the championship and join a list of exclusive players to win 3 titles on the bounce.

Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani (Image via X/@SleeperDodgers)

In the interview with NBC, Ohtani admitted that the task was going to be more difficult. However, he added that it would be cool to see his name among players who won 3 straight championship titles with their teams.

As you look back at history, there’s only been a, you know, small group of teams that have three-peated. The task is going to be very difficult. However, I do hope that, you know, when I retire and I look back and I can be able to say that, hey, I was on that team that won three, three championships in a row. That would be very cool.

Shohei Ohtani told NBC

A three-peat of any championship is difficult. In MLB, the task seems even harder. In the long history of the sport, there have been only 4 instances where teams won 3 or more World Series titles.

The New York Yankees are obviously one of these teams. The Bronx Bombers, who have won the World Series 27 times, have done a three-peat on 3 of the 4 occassion.

They first did a 4-peat from 1936-1939. Then they won 5 times in a row and completed a historic 5-peat from 1949-1953. Their 3rd 3-peat came from 1998-2000, when they were also the last time before the Dodgers to repeat as champions.

The only other team to have done a three-peat in MLB is the Athletics. During their time as the Oakland Athletics, the A’s won three straight titles from 1972 to 1974, beating the Cincinnati Reds, the New York Mets and, coincidentally, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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