Sportscaster Bob Costas had made no secret of his wish to see Shohei Ohtani continue at the Dodgers stadium when the Japanese was linked with a move away in 2023. And he was beyond vindicated when Ohtani penned a record-breaking $700 million deal in LA, instead of joining the Blue Jays. This caused a huge uproar, especially in Canada, against Costas. But the sportscaster has now made new comments that this controversial choice was not a rejection, but a strategic need for the sport to grow around the world. His reasoning has sparked a debate that is still going on among baseball fans on both sides of the border.

Costas said on Foul Territory on October 23rd that this outcome would be good for baseball’s ecosystem. “This is good for baseball overall,” Costas said, stressing that Ohtani’s effect goes beyond one team. He used basketball’s best player as an example to explain the economic principle behind his position: other NBA teams should have known that Michael Jordan’s value went beyond Chicago’s balance sheet. He then used this to talk about Ohtani’s situation directly: “Ohtani is good for baseball, not just in America, but internationally.”

Costas said that Ohtani’s impact on the sport’s global standing depends on how big the market is. “When I had said a year before that, that it’s good for baseball that Ohtani signed with the Dodgers, that’s just true overall, look at what he’s brought to the game. Overall, if he was in a smaller market, then you don’t get the ripple effect. And now it’s more than a ripple effect.”

The Blue Jays’ efforts to get Shohei Ohtani were one of the most aggressive in baseball history. After the news, General Manager Ross Atkins publicly said he was devastated and called the rejection “one of the more difficult ones in my career.”

The Blue Jays really wanted Ohtani and tried to pair him with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to build a dynasty that could dominate the league for years. But the franchise’s lack of playoff wins since 2016 was a big difference from the Dodgers’ recent success. Ohtani’s choice to stay in Southern California, where he had played for the Angels for six years, showed both personal stability and the team’s ability to handle things. The story changed from being about competition between regions to being about benefits for the whole world: having baseball’s most exciting players compete in America’s second-largest media market made the sport more commercially viable around the world.

That choice to put stability and loyalty to the organization ahead of geographical markets turned out to be important. What happened next proved Ohtani’s choice in ways that went beyond normal statistical analysis. The Los Angeles Dodgers turned his well-thought-out risk into real results that changed the team’s competitive future.

Shohei Ohtani’s dual-threat dominance validates the Dodgers’ investment

The Dodgers’ risky bet on Shohei Ohtani has paid off in ways that go far beyond the regular season. His presence changed the direction of the franchise’s competition, and they ended up in the World Series against Toronto, the same team that wanted him. The symbolism is very strong; the Blue Jays are now up against the team that won the recruitment battle, with Ohtani leading the charge for Los Angeles.

Shohei Ohtani proved that he was the best all-around player in baseball during the regular season. He hit 55 home runs and had the best on-base plus slugging percentage in the National League. His pitching credentials were just as impressive, with a 2.87 ERA over 14 starts and the ability to switch between roles that most players can’t handle. His ability to do two things at once is what makes him valuable.

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Ohtani’s dominance grew during the postseason. He struck out ten batters in six innings and hit three home runs in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against Milwaukee. This was a rare combination of great pitching and great hitting. Ohtani had a lot of momentum going into the Fall Classic, even though his batting average was only .220.

His five postseason home runs showed that his regular-season stats rarely show how clutch he is. The World Series matchup with Toronto was the best proof that the Dodgers’ investment and Ohtani’s choice to put stability in the organization ahead of moving were the right ones.