Dodgers Face Delicate Balance with Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki’s World Baseball Classic Participation
Teh Los Angeles Dodgers are navigating a complex situation regarding the potential participation of stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, following a grueling 2023 season that extended into November. manager Dave Roberts expressed uncertainty Monday at baseball’s winter meetings about whether any restrictions will be placed on his team’s Japanese players.
The situation is especially sensitive given Ohtani’s recent recovery from elbow surgery in September 2023, which sidelined him until June. Despite the injury,the two-way sensation played a pivotal role in the Dodgers’ historic achievement of becoming the first team in a quarter-century to win back-to-back World series titles,even starting the decisive Game 7 victory over Toronto.
“I would like to think that it’s going to be a dialog as far as restrictions and limitations, in the sense of just trying to give them the opportunity,” Roberts stated. “They’ve come off some stuff, some long seasons, and certainly with Yamamoto and looking out for 2026. But right now there’s no more clarity than we had before.”
Ohtani’s performance in 2023 was nothing short of exceptional, earning him his fourth unanimous Most Valuable Player award. He hit .282 with 55 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases, while also posting a 1-1 record with a 2.87 ERA across 14 shortened starts, totaling
Yamamoto, who signed a $325 million, 12-year contract with the Dodgers in december 2023, pitched a combined 211 innings in the regular season and postseason after being limited to 90 innings due to a triceps injury in his first season. Sasaki, in his rookie year, faced a right shoulder impingement that kept him off the mound from May 9 to Sept. 24 but ultimately emerged as the team’s closer in the postseason.
The Dodgers intend to integrate Ohtani into their starting rotation next season, but not in a traditional manner.”But it’s not going to be a regular five-man rotation,” Roberts explained. “I don’t want to go down the six-man rotation road, but I do feel that giving him six, seven, eight days off to kind of allow him to continue to stay rested and build up, I think that’s in our process. But again we have a long way to go but we’ve got some viable candidates.”
Beyond player health, Roberts also voiced support for a salary cap in Major league Baseball, a concept gaining traction among some team management. He noted that baseball remains the only major U.S. professional league without such a system. “You know what? I’m all right with that,” Roberts said. “I think the NBA’s done a nice job of kind of revenue sharing with the players and the owners, but if you’re going to kind of suppress spending at the top, I think that you got to raise the floor to make those bottom feeders spend money, too.”
Roberts downplayed the importance of his personal opinion, stating, “I’m entitled to an opinion, as we all are. My opinion shouldn’t move the needle.” Nevertheless, the Dodgers are projected to have a major league-record payroll of $509.5 million, substantially exceeding the New York Mets’ projected $428.8 million.
Despite the financial landscape and potential rule changes, Roberts expressed unwavering confidence in the association’s ability to succeed. “We have an organization that whatever rules or regulations,constructs are put in front of us,we’re going to dominate,” he asserted. “And so just give us the rules, let us know the landscape and then I’ll bet on our organization.”
