The Dodgers are steadily becoming all about Shohei Ohtani. Yes, having a two-way player seems like a prized possession for the Dodgers. But it comes with a lot of maintenance. And with time, it seems like the Dodgers are not interested in maintaining their asset. Rather, they are acting like how the Pirates do with Paul Skenes. Yes, rather than arming the team around their cornerstone, it’s like looking up to him to get over the October blues. And Ohtani’s recent statement reveals the same poor show of the team.

Well, instead of putting together another title-contending lineup, the president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman, has built a mess. To know that, just check Tuesday night’s 9-6 loss to the Phillies. You will be clear about how the Dodgers’ bullpen is collapsing yet again and spoiling another jaw-dropping performance from Ohtani. Now, this situation is nothing but forcing Ohtani to take up his role after pitching and slugging. Yes, sounds outrageous, but the Dodgers are that struggling now.

“As a player, if I’m told to go somewhere, I want to be prepared to do so,” Ohtani said. “That’s on the mound and perhaps even in the outfield.” So, just when the Dodgers are talking about managing the workload of Ohtani, the reality is something different. But is it legally possible in MLB for Ohtani to take up the outfield role as well?

Reportedly, under the current rules, if Ohtani starts on the mound and gets pulled, he can stay in the game as the designated hitter. However, if he begins as the DH and later comes in from the bullpen, the Dodgers lose the DH once he’s done pitching. That’s why using him in the outfield could be a smart move, as it lets them bring him in as a reliever while still keeping his bat in the lineup.

But this says a lot about how the Dodgers are failing to manage the workload of Ohtani.

With all their departments failing to win games, the Dodgers’ cornerstone is expected to take the lead everywhere. As per LA Times‘ Dylan Hernandez, “The Dodgers are terrible.”

Manager’s reaction shows Shohei Ohtani isn’t alone in his belief

The question of Ohtani playing the outfield puts manager Dave Roberts in a difficult position. When told of Ohtani’s comment, Roberts replied, “He’s a great teammate. He wants to help us win a championship. So I’m all about it.” Of course, he’s all about it. Any inning pitched by Ohtani is an inning not pitched by one of the Dodgers’ own disaster relievers.

The reality is that Ohtani’s desperate offer exposes the team’s flaws. After Ohtani threw five hitless innings, Rafael Marchan crushed a go-ahead three-run homer off Blake Treinen in the ninth, handing the Dodgers a 9-6 defeat. To make matters worse, relievers have been tagged with 12 of the Dodgers’ last 19 losses, and they’ve gone just 6-14 in one-run games over their past 20.

Still, manager Dave Roberts insists the Dodgers don’t need Ohtani in the outfield. “It’s commendable to Ohtani, but it takes a lot of change for that to actually happen. It will put more pressure on pitchers and outfield defense, and we need to think about who will replace the designated hitter position. It’s not easy.”

The organization cannot remain cautious with Ohtani and make a legitimate effort to retain its World Series crown. They simply are not good enough to do both. With the bullpen blowing up every night, the Dodgers have placed Ohtani in a situation where he has to choose between protecting his long-term pitching future and trying to save a team that is failing him.