Adding Shohei Ohtani boosts Dodgers' World Series odds, but by how much?
Unsurprisingly, the addition of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has significantly increased the Los Angeles Dodgers' odds of winning the World Series.
While the Dodgers were already one of the favorites to win it all before agreeing to terms with Ohtani, they've skyrocketed to the top of most sportsbooks. According to the Action Network, the consensus says the Dodgers have the best odds (+550) to win the World Series.
They leapfrogged the previous favorite, the Atlanta Braves (+650), while the New York Yankees (+950), Houston Astros (+1000) and defending champion Texas Rangers (+1000) round out the top five.
According to Dayn Perry of CBS Sports, the Dodgers' expected win total rose from 98.8 to 101.6 while their chances of making the playoffs improved to 99.1 percent. Furthermore, adding Ohtani to their roster boosted their odds of winning the World Series from 15.9 percent to 19.3 percent.
On Thursday, a report had the baseball world tracking the flight path of a private jet headed for Canada, stirring anticipation that Ohtani would sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. The report proved false, and roughly 24 hours later, Ohtani confirmed he'd agreed to a record-setting 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers. The heavily deferred deal will pay Ohtani $70 million annually, shattering the previous high mark of $43.4 million.
Following elbow surgery in November, Ohtani won't take the hill in 2024. However, he will immediately add tremendous value to the Dodgers' lineup, which already includes such 2023 MVP candidates as second baseman Mookie Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman. Ohtani was arguably the best hitter in baseball last season, leading the American League in home runs (44) while leading MLB in slugging (.654), OPS (1.066), OPS+ (184) and WAR (10.0).
Expectations are always high for the Dodgers. However, after inking Ohtani to a record deal, those expectations have risen exponentially. With Ohtani now in tow, it seems anything less than a World Series title for the Dodgers would be a failure.
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