Shohei Ohtani defers 97% of his $700M contract with Dodgers

It comes as no surprise that two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the dollar figure gave a lot of observers some sticker shock: 10 years, $700 million.

Previously, the biggest outlay in baseball history had gone to Ohtani's former teammate with the Los Angeles Angels, Mike Trout, whose contract calls for $426.5 million over 12 years.

This deal obviously blows that out of the water, but it comes with an interesting twist: Ohtani is deferring $680 million of that money.

The two-time MVP will earn just $2 million per season from now until 2033. Then the Dodgers will owe him $68 million annually every year from 2034 until 2043.

Why do this? It's all about taxes -- the competitive balance tax and income tax. The competitive balance tax payroll for each team typically uses the average annual value of contracts, which is $70 million in this case, but there's a discount for deferred money.

I'm not a good accountant, so I'm not sure how we arrive at this figure, but media reports say Ohtani's cost toward the competitive balance tax payroll with be $46 million. Yeah, that's a lot less than $70 million.

If you add up the contracts for Ohtani and other Dodgers stars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, they account for about $100 million of Los Angeles' competitive balance tax payroll. The luxury tax kicks in at $237 million, so the Dodgers still have room to work to fill out their roster.

Also, presumably, Ohtani will moved back to his native Japan after he retires. I don't know what income taxes are there, but California is a highly taxed state. There might be some savings there if he defers his income until later.

What's the risk for Ohtani? Well, he's not collecting interest on these deferred dollars. With inflation, $68 million in 2043 probably won't go as far as it will in 2024 dollars. But maybe that's a ridiculous concern, given the absurd figures we're talking about here. And Ohtani is expected to make upward of $45 million per season in endorsements, so he's going to have plenty of income well beyond his base salary.

I've seen a lot of comments online from people who think this is "unfair" and "bad for baseball" and whatnot. I think that remains to be seen. Ohtani is a unicorn player, an elite hitter and an elite pitcher all in one. I'd be shocked if this sort of contract becomes common. Most players aren't going to be willing to accept these kinds of deferrals, and most teams aren't going to be willing to give them.

Mostly, I think the people who are upset are just mad that Ohtani is not on their favorite team. It's clear that Ohtani is structuring his contract to give the Dodgers a better chance to win. He wants to go to the World Series. The Dodgers are trying to win a World Series, and they've done nothing here that violates the collective bargaining agreement.

I wish my favorite team was trying to win the World Series.

Mookie Betts is the difference between the Dodgers and Rays -- and about that Blake Snell decision

Mookie Betts

Both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays are considered elite, forward-thinking organizations by most people around Major League Baseball.

But here's the key difference between the two: The Dodgers have the resources to acquire -- and pay -- a high-end baseball player such as Mookie Betts.

Los Angeles won its first World Series championship since 1988 on Tuesday, beating the Rays, 3-1, in Game 6. 

Betts, a five-tool player who can beat the opposition in multiple ways, led the Dodgers in the decisive game. He went 2 for 4 with a double and a home run. He scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth inning and gave Los Angeles some cushion with a solo home run off Tampa Bay reliever Pete Fairbanks in the bottom of the eighth.

The Rays took a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning, and their ace, Blake Snell, was dealing.

Austin Barnes, the Dodgers' No. 9 hitter, singled off Snell with one out. It was only the second hit off the Tampa Bay left-hander, who struck out nine of the 18 batters he faced.

But apparently Rays manager Kevin Cash decided Snell was only going to go through the Los Angeles batting order twice. Snell was removed from the game in favor of right-hander Nick Anderson, even though he had only thrown 73 pitches and seemed to have plenty left in the tank.

Up stepped Betts, who doubled Barnes to third base. Anderson's wild pitch allowed Barnes to score the tying run, with Betts advancing to third. The contact play was on as Corey Seager grounded to first base, and Betts used his speed to score the go-ahead run on the fielder's choice. 2-1 Dodgers.

The Betts home run in the ninth put it away, as Tampa Bay batters had no chance against Los Angeles left-hander Julio Urias, who faced seven men and retired them all -- four by strikeout.

But back to that Snell decision ... I don't think too many baseball people thought it was a good choice. Why would you take out your ace, a former Cy Young winner, when he's dealing in a must-win game?

Well, the Rays believe in their analytics, and the numbers say it's best not to let your starting pitcher go through the opposing batter order for a third time. 

OK, I don't like it, but I get it. But let's say you agree with the idea of taking Snell out. If that's the case, then why was Anderson the choice? 

Anderson has made 10 appearances this postseason. He has been scored upon in eight of them -- EIGHT!!! -- including seven appearances in a row. His playoff ERA is 5.52.

He has been pitching poorly by any measure. In what baseball universe is he the best choice to face Betts and Seager in a 1-0 game with a World Series championship on the line?

No universe that I'm living in. 

Analytics are all fine and dandy, and the Rays have used them to great success. You can't argue with a 40-20 record this season, nor can you argue with an American League pennant.

But sometimes you have to trust your eyes a little bit. Even a blind man can see that Anderson has not been pitching well. You just can't go to him there, although the Dodgers and their fans are very happy that Cash did.

Dodgers back in the World Series for 3rd time in 4 years

Cody Bellinger

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost the 2017 World Series to the Houston Astros, and they lost the 2018 World Series to the Boston Red Sox. 

Will the third time be the charm?

The Dodgers are National League pennant winners for the third time in four years, after they beat the Atlanta Braves, 4-3, on Sunday in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series.

Los Angeles was down 3-2 after five innings, but it tied the game in the sixth on Enrique Hernandez's pinch-hit solo home run off A.J. Minter. The Dodgers went ahead to stay in the bottom of the seventh, when center fielder Cody Bellinger homered off Chris Martin.

Both Hernandez and Bellinger homered on 2-2 pitches to cap off eight-pitch battles.

The big defensive play, not surprisingly, came from right fielder Mookie Betts, who robbed Atlanta's Freddie Freeman of a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning. If that ball gets out, the Braves go ahead 4-2, and who knows how that changes the game and the strategy moving forward?

Interestingly, the Dodgers won this game without using longtime ace Clayton Kershaw, or longtime closer Kenley Jansen. Los Angeles used five pitchers, none of whom worked more than three innings: Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol and Julio Urias.

There aren't any household names among those five pitchers, but that list shows the depth of the Dodgers, and it's shows the diverse way in which Los Angeles built its team.

May and Gonsolin were drafted and developed by the Dodgers; both are products of the 2016 draft class. Treinen was a free-agent acquisition. He was coming off a down year with Oakland in 2019, but he found new life with the Dodgers. Graterol was acquired from the Minnesota Twins in a three-team blockbuster last offseason -- the same deal that brought Betts to Los Angeles and had the Dodgers sending pitcher Kenta Maeda to Minnesota.

And Urias was signed as an international free agent out of Mexico at age 16. Now 24 years old, the left-hander finished the game Sunday with three perfect innings. Frankly, it would have been foolish for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to go to Jansen, although the veteran right-hander was warming up in the bullpen when the game ended.

Urias was cruising, and there was absolutely no reason to believe he couldn't protect that one-run lead. Protect it he did, and now we'll see how the Dodgers fare against the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series.

The Rays are making their first World Series appearance since 2008, when they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers are attempting to win the World Series for the first time since 1988, a remarkable drought when you consider the overall success of the organization.

Los Angeles will turn to Kershaw in Game 1 on Tuesday night. Tampa Bay will counter with right-hander Tyler Glasnow.

Baseball Digest also believing in the White Sox

One of the things I like about the Baseball Digest season preview is it comes out a little later than the other ones. That means it takes trades and other roster moves that happened late in the offseason into account.

For instance, this magazine has Mookie Betts as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers -- not the Boston Red Sox -- and that makes it different than some of the other ones I've read.

I try not to give away too much about these magazines' predictions -- copyright infringement and all -- but it's been quite unusual to read positive thoughts on the White Sox.

Baseball Digest has the Sox finishing second in the American League Central behind the Minnesota Twins, a forecast that is both optimistic and realistic.

The magazine notes that the Sox have the longest postseason drought of any team in their division, and the second-longest drought of any team in the American League. It also refers to "octogenarian chairman Jerry Reinsdorf," which is quite amusing, and notes that Reinsdorf and general Rick Hahn were out to end that postseason drought with significant moves this offseason.

And three of the Baseball Digest's "five rookies to watch" in the AL Central are members of the Sox: Luis Robert, Michael Kopech and Nick Madrigal.

Hey, at least the days of being picked to finish last are gone, right?

Mookie Betts, Christian Yelich win MVP awards

Christian Yelich

The MVPs this season are both first-time winners, and neither of them is a surprise: outfielder Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox in the AL and outfielder Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL.

At the halfway point of the season, Yelich was not the front-runner for the award. But from July 8 on, he hit .367 with a .444 on-base percentage. His .770 slugging percentage after the All-Star Game was baseball's best in 14 years, and over 74 games, he totaled 25 home runs, 22 doubles and a 1.171 OPS.

The Brewers overtook the Cubs in the NL Central in a Game 163 and finished with a league-best 96 wins. Obviously, they do not accomplish that without Yelich's red-hot second half.

Yelich won the batting title with a .326 average. He finished tied for third in the league with 36 home runs, and his 110 RBIs ranked second.

Really, he was darn close to a Triple Crown, which made this vote obvious.

Yelich earned 29 of the 30 first-place votes -- the other went to New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom. The Cubs' Javier Baez had 19 second-place votes and finished second. Colorado's Nolan Arenado, who led the NL with 38 home runs, placed third.

As for Betts, he became the first player in MLB history to win a batting title in the same season in which he also had at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. The right fielder's slash line was .346/.438/.640, and simply put, he was the best player on the best team -- the 108-win and World Series champion Red Sox.

Betts finished with 47 doubles, 32 home runs, 129 runs scored and 30 stolen bases. He's also the best defensive right fielder in the game, earning his third consecutive Gold Glove at the position this season.

Twenty-eight of the 30 first-place votes went to Betts. Runner-up Mike Trout appeared first on one ballot, and he got 24 second-place votes. Cleveland infielder Jose Ramirez placed third.

Chris Sale vs. Jose Quintana: More batting practice than pitching duel

Chris Sale

The White Sox unexpectedly roughed up their former teammate, Chris Sale, on Tuesday night.

The Boston left-hander had his worst outing of the season, allowing six runs (five earned) on 10 hits with two walks. He needed 111 pitches just to get through five innings.

Yet Sale (6-2) got the win in Boston's 13-7 victory, because Sox left-hander Jose Quintana was even worse.

Quintana failed to get out of the third inning, allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits, including three home runs, over 2.2 innings. Two of the three homers were hit by a complete stiff, Boston No. 9 hitter Deven Marrero.

Marrero, a .194 hitter even after his Tuesday night outburst, had six RBIs through his first 62 plate appearances this season. He had five RBIs in two plate appearances against Quintana.

The Boston third baseman hit Quintana's final pitch of the night -- a sloppy, get-me-over 3-2 curveball -- for a three-run homer in the top of the third inning. The blast gave the Red Sox a 7-3 lead, and it was arguably the most poorly executed pitch I've seen from a Sox pitcher all season.

Just brutal.

Not that the Sox didn't fight back. They got one in the third on an RBI single by Tim Anderson and two in the fourth on a home run by Todd Frazier to cut Boston's lead to 7-6.

However, Dan Jennings failed to take advantage of a lefty-on-lefty matchup in the fifth, as Jackie Bradley took him deep for a three-run homer to put Boston ahead 10-6. The Sox didn't have another comeback in them after that.

Bradley, the No. 8 hitter in the Boston order, is hitting .214 this season. So, yeah, I'd say it was a night where the Sox were insistent on giving up three-run homers to the absolute worst hitters the Red Sox have to offer. It would be one thing if they were getting their brains beat in by Mookie Betts, who did have a solo home run Tuesday, but it was Bradley and Marrero who combined to beat the Sox.

Hard to accept.

And what the hell is wrong with Quintana, you ask? Well, all seven runs he allowed Tuesday night came with two outs. He can't extricate himself from innings; he can't get key outs when he's pitching out of the stretch. It's hard to be successful that way.

This season, opponents have a .316/.385/.611 slash line against Quintana when they have men on base. By way of comparison, opponents slashed .247/.309/.375 against Quintana with men on base last season.

Significant difference, isn't it? That's the crux of the problem: Quintana cannot execute any of his pitches from the stretch right now. His fastball command is off. His curve is hanging, and he's getting hurt -- even by poor hitters.

Adam Eaton a Gold Glove finalist, and other assorted White Sox news

Adam Eaton

Catching up on a few White Sox notes from the past few days:

1. Right fielder Adam Eaton has been named a finalist for the American League Gold Glove Award. Eaton led major-league outfielders with 18 assists and was second to Boston's Mookie Betts with 22 defensive runs saved.

Eaton is trying to become the first Sox player to win a Gold Glove since pitcher Jake Peavy won the honor in 2012. The last Sox position player to win a Gold Glove was third baseman Robin Ventura in 1998.

Eaton was a finalist for the award as a center fielder in 2014. The other finalists among right fielders this year are Betts and Houston's George Springer.

Consider Betts the favorite, since he also had a big offensive season (yeah, I know it shouldn't matter, but it does) and plays in Boston.

2. No surprise: Pitcher James Shields will opt in for the final two years of his contract, according to reports.

Shields, who will turn 35 in December, is coming off a terrible season in which he posted a 6-19 record with a 5.85 ERA. After being traded to the American League, his ERA swelled to 6.77 in 22 starts with the Sox, during which he went 4-12.

The right-hander is owed $21 million for each of the next two seasons, although the San Diego Padres are on the hook for $11 million in both 2017 and 2018. That means the Sox will play Shields $10 million next year and the year after that.

There is a $16 million club option for 2019 on Shields, with a $2 million buyout, if he somehow manages to hold his roster spot for that long. The Sox would be on the hook for the buyout.

Great trade, huh?

3. The Sox claimed outfielder Rymer Liriano off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers.

Liriano, 25, was once a top-100 prospect in the San Diego system, but his skills have never translated to the big-league level.

He made it to the bigs with the Padres in 2014, but couldn't stick, hitting .220 with a .555 OPS in 121 plate appearances in 38 games.

Liriano missed the entire 2016 season after being struck in the face by pitched ball in spring training. The move brings the Sox's 40-man roster back up to 40 players, but this acquisition is for nothing more than organizational depth.

White Sox ace Chris Sale becomes first 12-game winner in majors

Chris Sale

White Sox ace Chris Sale became the major leagues' first 12-game winner Tuesday night, as he tossed seven innings of one-run ball to lift the South Siders to a 3-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Sale (12-2) allowed just four hits and one walk. He equaled his season high in strikeouts with nine.

Rookie shortstop Tim Anderson staked Sale to an early lead by hitting the first pitch of the game from Boston starter Clay Buchholz over the Green Monster for his first career home run. The Sox added one more in the first inning when Adam Eaton doubled and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Melky Cabrera.

The Sox remained ahead 2-0 until the third inning when Boston scored its lone run on two singles and a sacrifice fly by Mookie Betts. The Red Sox loaded the bases after that, as Dustin Pedroia singled and Xander Bogaerts walked. But Sale escaped any further trouble by striking out Hanley Ramirez on a nasty slider.

Boston never threatened against Sale the rest of the night.

Todd Frazier connected for his 20th home run of the season in the fourth inning to put the Sox ahead 3-1 and complete the scoring. Nate Jones and David Robertson combined for two innings of shutout relief, with Robertson earning a four-out save -- his 18th of the year.

The Sox (35-36) have won two games in a row for the just the second time in June, and with the team playing in Boston, ESPN is predictably starting the rumors about how the Sox need to trade Sale to the Red Sox.

Sale is probably the best pitcher in the American League, and he is signed to a team-friendly deal through the 2019 season. His production and his contract make him one of the most valuable players in baseball. I have no doubt the Red Sox would covet him for their rotation. What team wouldn't?

But here's the thing that really pisses me off about these "trade Sale" articles: The authors always make it sound as if Sale can be had for a package of prospects who are currently toiling at Double-A or Triple-A.

I don't think so, friends.

The White Sox should not trade the best pitcher in the league unless they are getting at least one major league position player in return. The ESPN author of this Red Sox article touts the three "young, inexpensive" stars on the Boston roster -- Bogaerts, Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr

My message to "Red Sox Nation" and ESPN is this: If you want the best pitcher in the American League on your roster, it's going to cost you one of either Betts or Bradley Jr. Highly regarded prospects aren't enough.

The White Sox are not anybody's farm team, and you're not acquiring a potential Cy Young winner for nothing more than a package of ifs and maybes, because after all, prospects are nothing more than ifs and maybes. There are plenty of teams out there that could use Sale, and I'll bet you one of them will be willing to send along a player or players who are already big-league caliber.

Any club that acquires Sale is getting three and a half years of an All-Star pitcher in his prime at cost-controlled price. I'm sorry, but that's worth more than Double-A players.