"Shohei Ohtani not going to be Iron Man for next 9 years" - MLB sportscaster evaluates future of two-way phenom with Dodgers
Shohei Ohtani had a historic first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning the National League MVP after signing a 10-year, $700 million deal in the offseason. The two-way phenom didn't take the mound, though, as he was recuperating from an elbow surgery, while he also suffered a shoulder injury in the World Series that could hamper his abilities at the plate next season.
Veteran MLB sportscaster Jose Mota believes the Los Angeles Dodgers will need to reassess the workload of Shohei Ohtani, as he's entering the later half of his career.
On Sunday, Mota told Dodgers Nation about the prospect of Ohtani returning to the mound next year:
"Shohei needs to be guarding against Shohei, because he's going to come in and say, 'I'm ready. I'm going to pitch. I want to do both things.' And then, overall, he's not 26 years old anymore. And he wants to play a lot. He wants to be on the field. The Dodgers are going to have to make a decision at some point.
"There's a lot in the equation that goes through this," he added. "There's a lot at stake. But for Shohei Ohtani, it's going to be a matter of, 'When do you find that one day when he needs to sit, no matter what?' Because, obviously, he is not going to be Iron Man for the next nine years."
Ohtani has played more than 155 games in three of the past four seasons and featured in a career-high 159 games during the regular season for the Dodgers in 2024.
"Shohei Ohtani is not going to make 30 starts": Jose Mota
The Los Angeles Dodgers have added two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell last week to compile a strong six-man starting rotation for 2025.
Jose Mota feels this will suit both Shohei Ohtani as well as the Dodgers in the long run.
"We know one thing. That Shohei is not going to make 30 starts for you," Mota said. "He's never done it. He'll never do it.
"And you have the space of having a very deep rotation regardless, (with) so many bodies coming back, that he doesn't have to be a guy that you say, 'I've got to push him to be top three in the rotation,' because, obviously, there's a different schedule with Shohei and (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto," he added.
The Dodgers will have three aces in their starting rotation besides Ohtani next season, but keeping them healthy will be the biggest challenge for them.