Commentary: If Shohei Ohtani is open to playing in the outfield, the Dodgers have failed him

"Shohei Ohtani said he is prepared to make a six-inning start in October. He said he is open to pitching out of the bullpen, even if remaining in the game after a relief appearance might require him to play in the outfield. His unspoken reasons for wanting to do so are obvious: The Dodgers are terrible. They aren't terrible compared to the Colorado Rockies or Chicago White Sox, but they're terrible for a team with the most expensive roster in baseball."

"Ohtani came up with the idea to defer the majority of his $700-million contract until after he retires, wanting the Dodgers to spend that money to build super teams around him. The Dodgers won a World Series last year, but the good times could already be over. Instead of building another championship team, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman constructed an all-time clunker."

Shohei Ohtani said he is willing to make a six-inning start in October and to pitch out of the bullpen, even if that requires him to play the outfield after a relief appearance. The Dodgers' roster has underperformed despite being the most expensive in baseball. Ohtani deferred most of his $700 million contract so the team could build championship-caliber rosters, but the current construction has left him carrying more responsibility. The organization now faces a trade-off between protecting Ohtani's health after Tommy John surgery and deploying him fully to try to salvage the World Series title defense. Recent losses underscore the team's struggles.

Read at Los Angeles Times