“I’ve heard the name.”
Dave Roberts (Los Angeles Dodgers) was talking to reporters ahead of the “Freeway Series” against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday (Aug. 8) when the subject of Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels) came up.
There’s no way Roberts doesn’t know about Ohtani. With the Dodgers expected to be the top free agent target this offseason, Roberts was exaggerating to avoid being accused of “tampering”.
Roberts’ sincerity comes later. “(Ohtani) is a great player. It’s good for the Dodgers that he’s not starting this series,” Roberts said, adding, “Fans look forward to seeing him play, he’s always a guy that gets people excited.”
The reporter then asked Roberts, “What did the front office say about Ohtani? Roberts didn’t fall for the leading question. “It’s the same thing (I said),” he said with a smile. Ohtani is a great baseball player,” he said with a smile.
The Dodgers did not invest in free agency this offseason, opting instead to keep their roster strong with short-term deals at positions of need. In the industry, this was seen as a plan to reduce payroll spending so they could catch the big fish on the market in the future. The biggest fish on everyone’s mind is Ota.
Even current players think the Dodgers will make a move for Ohtani. On March 21, American sports publication The Athletic conducted a survey of 103 major leaguers from 22 teams. One of the questions asked was, “Which team should Ohtani play for next year?” The Dodgers received the most votes (57.2% of 96). The Angels remained at 11.4%, followed by San Diego, the Mets, and the Yankees.바카라
Meanwhile, the first game of the two-game Freeway Series at Dodger Stadium was a big 11-4 win for the Dodgers. The Dodgers scored in six of their eight offensive opportunities. Only the fourth and seventh innings were scoreless. The trio of first baseman Mookie Betts (4-for-3), second baseman Freddie Freeman (1-for-5) and third baseman Will Smith (5-for-3) combined to go 7-for-14 with seven RBIs.
Ohtani batted leadoff for the Angels and went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. Angels first pitcher Griffin Canning was charged with four runs on five hits in 2⅔ innings. Second starter Tyler Anderson didn’t fare much better, allowing three runs in 4 1/3 innings.