Is Shohei Ohtani worth it?
This question is bounding around baseball. It's not a question you'd expect about the consensus best player in the world. Then again, no one has ever received anything like his 10-year, $700 million deal. Not even close.
The question of "worth" is a big one and can be approached in countless ways. With Ohtani's contract, the actual scale of the deal and its CBT implications for the Los Angeles Dodgers are muted by an unheard of level of salary deferral. There are numerous other factors as well, such as Ohtani's non-baseball revenue, both for himself and the team.
For today, let's consider the $700 million at face value and just focus on the baseball aspect. What might it look like if Ohtani produces enough wins for the Dodgers to justify a $700 million contract?
Given the range of skills Ohtani possesses when healthy, there are countless roles he can fill for a baseball team. Over the past three seasons, we've known him as a full-time DH and starting pitcher. Because of his Tommy John surgery, next season he'll just be a DH. But going forward, as his health fluctuates and his underlying skills evolve, he could end up as an everyday right fielder and give up pitching. He could end up as a DH/closer. Or a right fielder/closer. Maybe he'll even take a shot as a right fielder/starting pitcher or a first baseman/starting pitcher.
Here are a few roles Ohtani could play for the Dodgers over the next decade, given his unmatched skill set, and how that might look in terms of production -- in the context of a record contract that boggles the mind.
