The Los Angeles Dodgers get Shohei Ohtani and exceptions to MLB rules that only they can benefit from. And other major league managers are not happy campers.

Plagued by pitching injuries, the Chicago Cubs manager could certainly do with more healthy pitchers. However, with Shohei Ohtani on the team, only the Dodgers get to enjoy that privilege. When the Cubs manager dubbed the MLB rule ‘bizarre,’ considering only the Dodgers benefit from it, Dave Roberts responded.

“The thing is, it certainly benefits us because we have the player,” Roberts told Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. “We’re more than willing for other teams to go out and find a player who can do both. He’s an exception because he’s an exceptional player. It is what it is.”

Two-way players like Shohei Ohtani do not count towards the 13 pitchers roster limit. The Dodgers get to weaponize Ohtani’s exceptional skills alongside their 13 pitchers.

After Craig Counsell of the Chicago Cubs expressed his frustration with the rule on Monday, Roberts offered a solution for others.

But that’s a feat easier said than done.

From Opening Day to August 31, MLB allows teams to carry only 13 pitchers on their 26-man roster. However, two-way players like Ohtani do not count among them.

Hence, the defending World Series champions get the privilege of 14 pitchers on their active roster, including Shotime.

For a player to earn the two-way designation, he must meet some specific criteria, though.

A two-way player must pitch at least 20 innings in the majors and make at least 20 starts as a position player or as a designated hitter with three plate appearances in each. To qualify as one, a player must meet these conditions in the current season or the one before.

MLB adopted the rule in 2020, allowing Ohtani to continue as a DH and a pitcher.

It might raise questions about bias, but Shotime is an exception in the baseball world, and his rare talent demands rules be a little in his favor.

At present, the $700 million Japanese star is the only two-way phenom in the major leagues, and the Dodgers are reaping the benefits.

In Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, he took the mound and played DH in the winner-takes-it-all game. He threw 2.1 innings, giving up 5 hits and 3 runs, while striking out thrice. As a DH, in his 6 plate appearances, Ohtani touched base twice with 1 walk. After the daunting 18-inning Game 3, the Japanese phenom became the first player in the Fall Classic history to reach base seven times in a single game. As he dominated the Toronto Blue Jays’ pitching staff, manager John Schneider stopped pitching to him altogether, following his fourth consecutive extra-base hit, electing to intentionally walk Ohtani in each of his next three plate appearances.

In the 2025 postseason, Ohtani held a 33.7% strikeout rate as a pitcher with a 8.4% walk rate, while as a DH, he hit .265 with a 1.096 OPS.

Dave Roberts acknowledged their privilege while coming up with what may seem like a solution. But the ‘evil empire’ was the second-most valuable team in 2025 at $6.8 billion. Even though the Cubs stood at 4th, their valuation gap was more than $2 billion ($4.6 billion), per Forbes.

In 2026, the Dodgers’ payroll exceeds $415 million, while the Cubs are at $249.1 million. Not every team can $46 million AAV, even with deferrals! Chicago does have Alex Bregman with deferred money, but the amount is $70 million (from his 5-year, $175 million contract) compared to Shotime’s $680 million.

Accumulating all that, Counsell’s woes cannot be lessened.

What did Cubs manager Craig Counsell say?

Before Monday’s 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cubs manager, Craig Counsell, was talking about his own injury-plagued team.

When asked about the lack of roster flexibility in such situations, Counsell referred to the two-way player rule and expressed his discontent about it, Foul Territory reported via AP.

“It’s a rule to help offense, I think, more than anything, if you ask me,” Counsell observed.

“And then there’s one team that’s allowed to carry basically one of both, and that he gets special consideration. Which is probably the most bizarre rule. … For one team.”

That clearly hinted at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Before the roster expands on September 1, the Cubs can have only 13 pitchers on their 26-man roster, no matter the circumstances.

Their current rotation is hurting with Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton on the IL. With relievers Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, and Daniel Palencia injured, the Cubs’ bullpen is also lacking.

Craig Counsell’s frustration is quite understandable at the moment.

The Cubs will face the Dodgers for the first game of a three-game series on April 24. However, Ohtani will not be pitching during the series, as the four-time MVP will start against the Giants on April 22.