The New York Yankees’ 2024 season came to a screeching halt Wednesday night when the team blew a five-run lead and lost to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series. The loss will sting for some time, but executives in New York will not have long to lament. The free agency sweepstakes for slugging outfielder Juan Soto has just begun.

When the Yankees acquired Soto from the Padres in a trade last off-season, the team instantly became a World Series contender. Sure enough, despite glaring weaknesses up and down the roster, Soto paired perfectly with A.L. MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge and led the team deep into the postseason. A failure to finish the job, however, makes it all the more likely that Soto looks elsewhere with his contract expiring.

“I don’t know what the teams are that are going to come after me,” Soto said. “But definitely, I’ll be open to this and every single team. I don’t have any doors closed or anything like that. I’m gonna be available for all 30 teams.”

The Yankees aren’t exactly strapped for cash, ranking among the highest payrolls in baseball. In order to lock down Soto, however, the front office would likely have to make one of the largest contract offers in MLB history, perhaps even rivaling the $700 million deal the Dodgers made with Shohei Ohtani last offseason. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner indicated over the summer that the team intends to cut the payroll going forward.

“I’m gonna be honest, payrolls at the levels we’re at right now are simply not sustainable for us financially,” Steinbrenner said of the Yankees’ $309 million payroll in 2024, via the New York Post. “It wouldn’t be sustainable for the vast majority of ownership [groups], given the luxury tax we have to pay.”

This doesn’t mean that the Yankees won’t make a competitive offer to try and retain their outfielder, who hit .288 with 41 home runs in 2024. It simply means that there will be eager buyers out there, some of which will likely be able to outbid a constricted Yankees organization. The conversation must begin with the Mets and Dodgers.

The Yankees’ crosstown rivals in Queens have a laundry list of free agency questions to address already, namely star first baseman and postseason hero Pete Alonso. But with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer finally off the books, Mets owner Steve Cohen, a hedge fund billionaire, likely has more than enough bandwidth to go after Soto with nearly unrivaled funds. That wasn’t enough last off-season, however.

Before Cohen and new Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns successfully built their magical upstart NLCS team, they planned to be heavy spenders and failed. Most importantly, they missed out on star free agents Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who both landed with the Dodgers. 

Los Angeles is one of the few teams in the league that can match Cohen’s lucrative offers, and Soto has already headed out West for a lengthy stint in San Diego. The Dodgers’ existing contracts would rule out almost any team in baseball from pursuing Soto, but the ownership group and GM Brandon Gomes have cleverly structured many of its largest deals and reportedly still has money to spare. While Soto could become the new centerpiece of a resurgent Mets team, putting the generational talent in the same lineup with Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman would kickstart a potential Dodgers dynasty.

New York and Los Angeles will not be the only teams in touch with Soto this winter. The Phillies, Red Sox and Cubs will all reportedly come to the table with offers. Some rumors even suggest that the budgeting Nationals will try their best to bring their old prospect home. By the time, he signs the dotted line, every team will likely have some connection to the star. If Soto is to be believed, however, feelings won’t take precedence. The highest bidder is almost certain to seal the deal.

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 to win the World Series Wednesday night. The Yankees blew a five-run lead at home and could only watch on as Los Angeles celebrated its eight title victory in front of sellout Yankee Stadium crowd.

“I think falling short in the World Series will stick with me until I die, probably,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge told reporters after the game. “I think just like every other loss, you know, those things don’t go away. They’re battle scars along the way. And, you know, hopefully when my career is over, we got a lot a battle scars but a lot of victories along the way too.”

After avoiding a sweep in an 11-4 blowout win Tuesday, the Yankees seemed intent on continuing their impossible march early in Game 5. Judge, Jazz Chisholm and Giancarlo Stanton all homered in the first two frames to put the Bombers ahead 5-0. Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty exited with just one out in the second, forcing Los Angeles to turn to its bullpen for another lengthy assignment. 

On the other side, fans in the Bronx were finally electrified. They had a Game 4 win under their belts. New York ace Gerrit Cole was cruising with run support, starting Game 5 with four flawless innings. Judge, dead silent for the entire series, was finally starting to hit like an MVP. With a few more quiet Los Angeles frames, the Yankees’ impossible dream of a reverse sweep could have been worth a whisper. Then the fifth inning came and went with all the grace of a six-car pileup on the Grand Concourse.

Judge kicked off the circus routine by dropping an easy line drive to center field, putting runners on first and second. On the very next play, shortstop Anthony Volpe tried to get the lead runner out on a ground ball but spiked the throw to third, loading the bases with no outs. Cole, battling through the poor play behind him, managed to strike out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani for two gutsy outs. A soft grounder down the first base line from Mookie Betts should have ended the inning.

But after coming all the way back from two fielding errors behind him, Cole suffered his own lapse. He failed to cover first base, allowing Betts to reach first, drive in a run and prolong the inning. The Dodgers didn’t need any favors from there; Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez connected for back-to-back two-RBI knocks and Los Angeles tied the game with five unearned runs.

The Yankees retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning and Cole carried on in heroic fashion, throwing 108 pitching in 6.2 innings without allowing an earned run. In a battle of the bullpens from there, however, New York folded almost immediately, loading the bases in the sixth and seventh innings and allowing two runs on sacrifice flies in the latter frame. With a 7-6 lead, the Dodgers closed out the game to earn their eighth World Title.

Freeman earned World Series MVP honors in overwhelming fashion, as the first baseman overcame an injury to hit four home runs and earn 12 RBIs across five games against New York. In a World Series billed as a star-studded matchup between the sport’s most famous franchises, Freeman was the only star to live up to those sky-high expectations.

“It seems like we hit every speed bump possible over the course of this year,” Freeman said after the game. “And to overcome what we did as a group of guys, it’s special. This is what we start out to do every single spring training is to win a championship. I think it’s the hardest thing to do in sports because you just never know what’s going to happen.”

Juan Soto, Judge’s slugging counterpart all season, was far from the Yankees’ biggest problem in the postseason, but the team’s collective failure is sure to make his impending free agency a nightmare. After Game 5, Soto told reporters that he will hear offers from all 30 MLB teams, and reports suggest that he will likely take the best offer. A meeting with Mets owner Steve Cohen in Queens is on the horizon and could potentially take a massive chunk out of the Yankees’ lineup in 2025.

Judge is sure to take the vast majority of the blame for the Yankees’ postseason failure; after batting .322 with 58 home runs in the regular season, the presumptive A.L. MVP batted 4-for-18 in the World Series. Before Game 5, he batted 2-for-15, and even after finally coming alive at the plate, his final game this season will be remembered for his costly error in center field that kickstarted the Dodgers’ comeback.

Despite the obvious blame on Judge for the Yankees’ shortcomings, he was not the only MVP candidate to have a quiet World Series. Ohtani was supposed to be the titan on the other side of the matchup, but he actually performed worse than Judge, going 2-for-19 without an RBI. 

In the end, the 2024 World Series was only partially determined by clutch play from immense talents. For the most part, it was a far more fundamental battle, one in which Los Angeles systematically took advantage of the New York’s sloppy play on the way to an unexpected rout. 

The team didn’t need Ohtani to be sharp; Freeman motored the team to consistent leads, and the pitching staff held a hapless Yankees lineup in check for the most part. It may have made for less compelling viewing than the offensive shootout some expected, but the Dodgers proved to be the cleaner team and took full advantage of the Yankees’ collective no-show. It was a decisive, if abrupt, triumph.

The Los Angeles Dodgers took a successful gamble on their bullpen to win Game 4 and prolong their NLDS series with the San Diego Padres. Los Angeles finally silenced San Diego’s white-hot offense in the 8-0 victory, putting the two teams on roughly equal footing entering Game 5 on Friday.

“I think that when you go through a regular season, a lot of things are sort of calculated, and there’s a lot of variables because you’re playing for the longer view,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game, according to ESPN. “But when you get into the postseason, it’s a street fight. It’s about people, players and your desire has got to be more than your opponent. And for me to see our guys go through what they’ve been through and respond the way they have really makes me excited about Game 5.”

The Dodgers were the ones entering the game with a bullpen strategy, but by the end, it was hard to tell the difference on the stat sheet. Los Angeles was all over San Diego from the jump, knocking Padres starter Dylan Cease out in the second inning. The Padres had to use seven pitchers to the Dodgers’ eight to get through the game.

In a do-or-die game without star first baseman Freddie Freeman or shortstop Miguel Rojas, the Dodgers delivered a well-rounded performance in which eight of nine batters got a hit. Mookie Betts kicked things off with a solo homer in the first, and an RBI single from Shohei Ohtani sent Cease packing early. Two more rallies in the third and seventh innings put the game firmly out of reach.

For a Padres team that scored 21 runs in the first three games of the series, getting blanked by the Dodgers’ bullpen was a squandered opportunity. The team must now win another game in Dodgers Stadium on Friday after splitting the first two games on the road. The Padres have named veteran Yu Darvish as their starter for Game 5.

“I have full confidence,” Padres slugging shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. said of Darvish. “I feel like he’s already proven himself. He’s proven himself for the last 18 years, probably, pitching in baseball. I have all my confidence playing behind him, and I’m ready to go.”

The Dodgers, who have dealt with injuries all year, have not yet named a starter for Game 5. Dave Roberts is reportedly interested in the idea of another bullpen game after Wednesday’s success, but starters Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are also options.

This season, the Dodgers and Padres faced different challenges. Los Angeles had to defend itself as one of the best teams in baseball despite a brutal litany of injuries. San Diego had to recover from a poor start and make the most of its star-studded roster and young talent. Both teams have come far, but only one can advance to face a well-rested Mets team in the NLCS.

The San Diego Padres swept the Atlanta Braves in two straight games to win their N.L. Wild Card series. The stage is now set for the Padres to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in a highly anticipated West Coast matchup in the NLDS.

The Braves, once touted as World Series favorites, dealt with a bevy of injuries throughout the year and ended their season on a whimper. In an exhausting week that started with a brutal loss to the Mets, they had to fly out to San Diego and were clearly on the back foot in both games. Ace pitcher Chris Sale did not appear due to back spasms.

In Game 1, Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. set the tone immediately, hitting a two-run homer in the first inning off starter AJ Smith-Shawver, who went on to allow three earned runs before exiting in the second inning. San Diego’s starter, Michael King, threw seven scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts, and the Padres cruised to a 4-0 win.

In Game 2, Atlanta jumped on San Diego to take a 1-0 lead in the first, but the Padres’ response was devastating. The home team put up five runs in the second, knocking out Braves starter Max Fried, in a rally that ultimately decided the game. The Braves mounted several comeback bids but failed to make it all up in a 5-4 loss.

With Atlanta down early, San Diego has two days of rest to prepare for a local series against the Dodgers. Though Los Angeles won the division by five games, the Padres held an 8-5 record against their N.L. West rival in the regular season. On Sept. 24, they defeated the Dodgers to clinch a postseason berth.

The Dodgers’ strengths are obvious, as the team boasts a stacked lineup spearheaded by presumptive N.L. MVP Shohei Ohtani. The designated hitter just became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season. Alongside him, outfielder Mookie Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman are among the best players in baseball. Freeman has been dealing with an injury but will reportedly be available for Game 1.

The Dodgers’ lineup is strong enough to make them a World Series contender, but the team would be much stronger if not for a brutal slate of injuries. Over the course of the season, Los Angeles lost more than a rotation’s worth of starting pitchers alone. While Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler have recovered in time, Tyler Glasnow and Tony Gonsolin are out for the season. Aging star Clayton Kershaw can no longer be trusted, so the Dodgers’ third starter will likely be newly acquired righthander Jack Flaherty.

While Los Angeles cobbles together a postseason roster, the Padres’ only notable injury entering the NLDS is to ace Joe Musgrove, who is receiving testing on his elbow to determine his status this weekend. This is obviously a concern, but the team still has King and Dylan Cease in the rotation. San Diego also originally planned to put Yu Darvish in the bullpen, and could easily turn to him to start if needed.

While the Dodgers’ lineup is talented and deep, the Padres may have the firepower to match. In addition to Tatis, slugging third baseman Manny Machado has come alive in recent months. Elite hitter Luis Arraez, Rookie of the Year favorite Jackson Merrill and outfielder Jurickson Profar round out an extremely dangerous roster with a playoff series win under its belt.

“Our goal is to win a world championship,” Padres general manager A.J. Preller said at the end of the regular season. “Every year we set out with that goal — play on that big stage, and that big stage is the World Series. And then, to win a World Series.”

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was ejected from a game against the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday for arguing a defensive obstruction call in the sixth inning. Los Angeles went on to lose 9-4, but Roberts believes that the blown call could have made a difference.

“He got it wrong,” Roberts said after the game. “That’s just a fact. Umpiring is hard. They do a great job. Tonight, that play affected the game.”

The play in question occurred in the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Phillies were trailing 4-3. Alec Bohm led off with a double, and Brandon Marsh laid down a bunt in an attempt to advance him to third.

At first, it appeared that the Dodgers managed to pull off a flawless wheel play, with shortstop Miguel Rojas running to third to tag Bohm out on a throw from charging third baseman Kiké Hernandez. Hunter Wendelstedt saw the play differently, however, arguing that Rojas obstructed Bohm’s path to the base without the ball. Both runners were safe, and Philadelphia went on to score five runs in the inning.

Crew chief Marvin Hudson stood by Wendelstedt’s assessment after the game.

“He was in front of the bag without the ball,” Hudson said. “And that’s the new obstruction rule. Plus, he was running in front of him to third. He was in front of third without the ball, so he obstructed the runner. The runner didn’t have a lane to get to the bag.”

Rojas and Roberts argued that the throw from Hernandez beat Bohm to the bag by a considerable distance, giving the shortstop plenty of time to apply a tag before he could obstruct the runner. While MLB officials have spent a lot of time determining the exact rules concerning the obstruction rule at home plate, calls at other bases have been less frequent.

“I’m aware of the rule,” Rojas said after the game. “I’m not trying to block the bag. I’m not trying to [get] anybody hurt. I’m not trying to hurt the other player, or be in the way, just because I think that’s my only way to get him out. I’m just trying to make a tag. And if you see the replay, he definitely hit my foot, but my foot is kind of like on the other side of the bag.”

The Dodgers, once in firm control of the N.L. West division, have gone on a skid and are now just three games ahead of the Diamondbacks and Padres. The Phillies, who are slowly recovering from a similarly poor stretch, still hold a comfortable lead over the Mets and Braves in the N.L. East.

Highly touted Dodgers pitching prospect Bobby Miller will return to the minor leagues this week after just seven starts in the 2024 season. Miller has racked up an 8.07 ERA and has only gone longer than six innings once since late March.

The Dodgers, who have refused to trade Miller through several deadlines in past seasons, claim that they are sending down Miller to give him a chance to reset. The last straw seemed to be his most recent outing against the Phillies Tuesday, when he got shelled for nine earned runs in four innings.

“We’ve got to get him right,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, according to MLB.com. “That’s the impetus. And what’s the best way to get him right mentally, emotionally and mechanically… We just felt this was the best thing for Bobby and for us. He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do this year, so we just felt that’s the best thing to do.”

Miller’s struggles and demotion could not come at a worse time for Los Angeles, as the team is dealing with a number of injuries in the starting rotation. Earlier this week, Tyler Glasnow joined fellow starters Clayton Kershaw, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler on the injured list. An injury to star outfielder and MVP candidate Mookie Betts has also proven costly.

Facing tougher opponents like the Phillies, Brewers and Diamondbacks over the last two weeks, these injuries have finally begun to take their toll on the Dodgers. Los Angeles has lost six of its last nine games, though the team still holds a comfortable lead in the N.L. West for now.

If players like Miller fail to step up and replace the team’s ailing stars, the Dodgers may go from World Series favorite to postseason also-ran, a role the team has grown all too familiar with in recent seasons. Record-breaking signee Shohei Ohtani is in the midst of a torrid season, batting .317 with 28 home runs, but he was supposed to be a leader on a star-studded roster. With so many health concerns, the depth chart around the slugger now is looking a little too close to his final days in Anaheim.

MLB baseball star Shohei Ohtani will not participate in the Home Run Derby on July 15, despite ranking second in the majors with 27 homers. This decision comes as Ohtani continues his recovery from an elbow ligament injury, prioritizing his rehabilitation over the popular event.

Ohtani, who had a procedure on his elbow in September, is only hitting and not pitching this season. This approach shows the Dodgers’ commitment to Ohtani’s long-term health and the team’s championship aspirations.

Ohtani’s manager, Dave Roberts, said to ESPN: “He signed up here to help us win a championship, and nothing should get in the way of that.”

Roberts further explained that the decision was not due to concerns about potential injury during the Derby but rather the interference it would pose to Ohtani’s structured rehab regimen.

“When you’re playing every day alongside the rehab, it’s very regimented, so when you have an outlier situation as far as a Home Run Derby, that’s something that one is prepared for,” Roberts said.

“It would just be a real disappointment for not only Shohei, the Dodgers, and also the fans if something were to happen during something like that, which is an exhibition essentially.”

On July 2, Ohtani blasted a two-run shot that traveled 433 feet to right-center, helping the Dodgers secure a 6-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. With 27 home runs this season, he trails only New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who leads the majors with 32 homers.

Previously in the 2021 derby, Ohtani set a record for the most homers of at least 500 feet with six. His dual-threat ability as a position player and a pitcher makes him a unique player in baseball.

“It’s just not his responsibility alone to carry the game of baseball,” Roberts reiterated. “He does it on a daily basis.”

Ohtani’s decision to sit out the Derby highlights his and the Dodgers’ prioritization of health and team success over individual accolades. While the Home Run Derby will miss his presence, the decision bodes well for his and the Dodgers’ future success.

Young Pittsburgh Pirates pitching star Paul Skenes faced off against Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani in three highly anticipated at-bats Wednesday. Both players had a triumphant moment against one other, but the Pirates won the day in a 10-6 blowout, giving Skenes his third career win.

The prolonged duel between Skenes and Ohtani began at the top of the first when Skenes proved capable of handling one of MLB’s best hitters. The rookie blew three fastballs in a row past Ohtani, striking out the Japanese superstar in short order. All three pitches traveled faster than 100 miles per hour.

After the game, Skenes told reporters that he realized he had a chance to beat Ohtani with this fastball and decided to go right after him. A similar tact later in the game did not prove as effective, but Skenes’ early statement was arguably the moment of the game.

Before fans could see the second round of the Skenes/Ohtani matchup, Pittsburgh blew the game wide open, scoring seven runs at the bottom of the second inning off Los Angeles starter James Paxton. The Dodgers were never in serious contention again, though Ohtani did his part anyway when he hit a two-run bomb off of another Skenes’ fastball in the top of the third. Cutting the lead to five did little in the end, but the home run meant a great deal as Ohtani’s response to the first-inning strikeout.

“I like to call that ‘Big on big’ because I obviously beat him a couple times earlier,” Skenes said after the game. “I think that was the right pitch to throw there; he’s just a pretty darn good player. Stuff like that is going to happen.”

Ohtani earned another hit off Skenes in the fifth inning, but on the whole, the budding Pirates star handled himself well against one of the National League’s top offenses. The 22-year-old pitched five innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out eight batters. The Pirates’ bullpen allowed a few runs toward the end of the game, but the team did more than enough at the plate in the 10-6 win.

Ohtani is an international superstar and recently made history when he signed his record-breaking deal with the Dodgers. No player in the league will outshine him for a long time, but from his time at LSU to the first few games of his MLB career, Skenes has earned a considerable amount of hype in his own right. 

The flamethrower has gained attention off the field for his relationship with LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, but on the mound, he has proven to be an extremely promising starter for a young Pirates team on the rise.

The New York Mets announced Thursday that relief pitcher Jorge Lopez will be designated for assignment after getting ejected, throwing his glove into the stands and delivering a bizarre outburst to reporters after the game. Lopez was one of several Mets relievers that turned a 3-3 ball game against the Dodgers into a 10-3 blowout loss Wednesday.

When Lopez was asked after the game if he regretted throwing his glove into the stands on his way to the dugout, the intention behind his answer is still partially unclear. At the very least, he didn’t regret throwing the glove.

“I don’t regret it. I think I’ve been looking [like] the worst teammate probably in the whole MLB,” Lopez said, according to the Associated Press.

The reporter’s interpretation of Lopez’s quote is forgiving of the reliever, removing an expletive and trusting Lopez’s clarification after the fact. SNY’s Steve Gelbs initially reported that Lopez said something very different.

“I don’t regret it. I think I’ve been on the worst f***ing team probably in the whole MLB,” Lopez said, according to Gelbs. During that interview, Gelbs asked him for clarification and he affirmed what Gelbs had heard. On Thursday morning, however, Lopez went on social media and claimed that he said “teammate,” which the Associated Press reported instead.

Regardless of what Lopez meant in his expletive-laced rant, the Mets deemed his behavior unacceptable and claimed that they took the entire incident into account when cutting him. In addition to possibly insulting the team, he also got ejected for arguing a check swing call and threw his glove into the stands. He seemed to understand his fate after the game.

“Whatever happened, happened. Whatever they want to do,” Lopez said. “I’ll be here tomorrow if they want me, whatever they want me to do. I’m going to keep doing this thing. I’m healthy and whatever they want to do.”

The 10-3 loss, including seven unanswered Dodgers runs, completed a three-game Dodgers sweep. New York was within striking range often in the series but allowed 12 combined runs beyond the eighth inning across the three games. The team fell to 22-33 on the season, continuing a horrendous skid in which they’ve gone 4-15 since May 10.

It turns out that Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani is mortal, after all. All it takes is a few questionable strikeout calls.

In a 4-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants Wednesday night, Ohtani became the center of attention for two heated exchanges with home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. Ohtani first made his feelings known in the top of the third inning when Wendelstedt rang him up on a ball below the zone. The two nearly locked horns again at the top of the seventh when Ohtani went down looking on a ball up and away.

Because Ohtani is known as an even-keel player, his reactions Wednesday night were telling, and post-game analysis seems to confirm his frustration. According to Umpire Scorecards, an online platform evaluating home plate umpires’ accuracy, Wendelstedt missed several calls, which gave the Giants an advantage.

Though his impact on the game was not statistically significant enough to alter the final result, his missed calls adversely affected Ohtani’s performance. He went 2-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts looking, both of which were decided by pitches outside the strike zone.

In the grand scheme, the game does little to impact Ohtani’s torrid start to the season, as the superstar improved to a .364 batting average, the best in the league. His 12 home runs are tied for the second most of any player, and he is quickly re-entering MVP consideration despite his inability to pitch or play the field. Two strikeouts Wednesday may have irked him, but they did little to halt his incredible momentum at the plate,

The Dodgers’ loss isn’t particularly impactful either, as the team has already jumped out to a massive lead in the N.L. West division. Los Angeles currently has a 29-16 record and is one of three National League teams, along with the Braves and Phillies, considered serious contenders for this year’s World Series.

Ohtani’s dismay with Wendelstedt may contribute to the ongoing discourse about umpires’ competency and the potential introduction of electronic strike zones. For the player and his team, however, the forgettable night is little more than a blip for now. 

The exchange comes as the superstar continues to deal with the fallout from the scandal of his interpreter betting on baseball games with his money. 

This week, a new list of fun details came out about the ongoing fraud case between Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.

Shortly before Mizuhara agreed to a plea deal for felony bank fraud charges Wednesday, it emerged that Ohtani’s friend and employee also stole his money for dental work and wired his gambling debt payments through a cast member of The Real Housewives of Orange County. On Thursday, Lionsgate T.V. announced that it was producing a show about the scandal. Nearly two months after the news broke, baseball’s most significant story remains.

Oh, how is Ohtani’s first season with the Dodgers going? Through his first 38 games, he’s batting .355 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs. Why do you ask?

While Ohtani’s compelling court case may be taking up much space on people’s social media feeds, the player seems utterly unfazed by the increased attention. In his first season playing for a World Series contender while being victimized in court, Ohtani is on pace to have the best hitting season of his career. He currently leads the star-studded Dodgers in home runs, runs, hits, extra-base hits, batting average and slugging percentage. The team is 26-13 and towers above the N.L. West division.

Because of a lingering arm injury, Ohtani will not be available to pitch for the Dodgers until 2025. His elite two-way appeal has made him a perennial MVP candidate, but few people expected his performance at the plate alone to be so strong this season that it could keep him in contention for the honor. As it stands, however, the Japanese power hitter is basically on even terms with his teammate, Mookie Betts, and Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr.

For now, it stands to reason that Ohtani’s first season with the Dodgers will be remembered for fraud and speculation. Through his play, however, the star is demonstrating that he may have the power at the plate to change that narrative as summer approaches.

Federal authorities confirmed on Wednesday that Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was a victim of fraud after his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole $4.5 million from him to pay off gambling debts. Mizuhara will face federal charges and is seeking a path to enter a guilty plea.

On March 19, Mizuhara went on ESPN with the Dodgers’ blessing to claim that he had incurred severe gambling debts with California bookie Matthew Bowyer. According to Mizuhara, Ohtani had offered to pay the debts. The following day, however, Ohtani’s lawyers presented a different version of events, claiming that he was a victim of “massive theft.”

The rapid succession of conflicting claims led to widespread speculation, with many fans accusing Ohtani of gambling the money himself. In many of these theories, Mizuhara was merely taking the blame for the gambling, which is illegal in California and frowned upon by MLB. The league deferred to a federal investigation into the incident.

In the following days, all sides went silent until Ohtani eventually agreed to a press conference on March 25.

“I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf and I have never gone through a bookmaker to bet on sports,” Ohtani said.

A guilty plea for Mizuhara could reportedly lead to a more lenient sentence as the case develops. It is also likely that Ohtani will be cleared of any wrongdoing, including illegal gambling. Details from the federal investigation are still unclear, but it’s possible that Mizuhara stole more than the original $4.5 million. Multiple reports claim that he stole money from Ohtani by changing notification settings in the player’s bank account.

Though the story broke before the regular season properly began, it did not appear to be a distraction for Ohtani. The reclusive star is batting .333 with three home runs in 11 games, and the Dodgers are 10-5 and currently sit atop the NL West division.

The San Diego Padres signed Korean closer Woo Suk Go to a two-year, $4.5 million deal. Go led the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) with 42 saves in 2022, though it is still unknown if the reliever will close for San Diego.

“We’re not going into this with any kind of roles yet,” Padres general manager A.J. Preller said. “We’re getting as much talent and guys who have different looks as we can. When we get to spring training we’ll see how they adjust and throw the ball and understand how they will benefit the team.”

Because the Padres signed Go out of the KBO, the team will pay approximately $900,000 (20% of the guaranteed money in the deal) to the LG Twins, Go’s former team. He debuted with the team in 2017 and has remained there since.

Go is one of several free agents from Asian baseball leagues to sign with MLB teams this off-season.

Shohei Ohtani, who originally played in Japan before debuting with the Angels in 2018, signed the largest deal in MLB history with the Dodgers last month. Japanese pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Yuki Matsui have also signed with the Dodgers and Padres, respectively, and will make their MLB debuts this year. KBO outfielder Jung Ho Lee, who is related to Go through marriage, recently signed with the Giants.

Go and Matsui could end up competing for the Padres’ closer job, along with relief pitcher Robert Suarez. Certain incentives and contract clauses could include money for the pitcher who earns saves for the team.

As many West Coast teams target players from overseas, San Diego is clearly using the trend to bolster its bullpen after a profoundly disappointing season. Despite having Fernando Tatis, Manny Machado and Juan Soto in the same lineup, the team struggled throughout the season and missed the postseason.

The Padres have an injury to a key player on their roster, after Sunday’s loss to the Colorado Rockies after Manny Machado went down early. In the first inning of the game, the third baseman injured his ankle while trying for an infield ground ball. During the fall, Machado left leg turned awkwardly, and he couldn’t put weight on the ankle after getting up and had to be helped off the field.

Machado was later diagnosed with an ankle sprain after X-rays came back negative. Although the injury looked more serious at the time, the team is still very optimistic about Machado’s prospects going forward. Manager Ryan Flaherty said that there wasn’t any serious damage done. “Fortunately, when he felt himself slip, he was able to shift his weight to the right and probably avoid more serious damage. All in all, it’s as good as it could be,” he said. “We have to wait for some of the swelling to go down and he gets treated. We’ll probably have a better idea of that [Monday].”

Machado was replaced by Sergio Alcantra at third base, but the Padres were still in need of some help as the Rockies hammered the Padres 8-3 on the way to their 10th straight victory over them at Coors Field. The Padres have been very successful this season, and Machado has been one of the integral reasons that they’ve excelled. San Diego sits just half a game back from first place in the NL West, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers. They’ve collected a good record away from home going 24-14 in all road contests.

Machado had been arguably their best player all season, batting .329 with 12 homers, 46 RBIs and 83 hits, leading the Padres in all categories. Machado has been valuable to San Diego, especially with the absence of shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. who has not played this season due to a wrist injury sustained in March.

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that Chris Taylor will be returning to the Dodgers on a four-year $60 million contract, keeping him with the team until 2025. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the deal includes a fifth-year option, which would increase Taylor’s pay to $72 million.

Entering his seventh season with Los Angeles, Taylor is known for his versatility. He is the literal definition of a utility player and has been one for the Dodgers since he was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016. Taylor broke into the major league with the Seattle Mariners in 2014 and was with Seattle until being traded to Los Angeles.

Since coming to the Dodgers in 2016, Taylor has played at least 30 games at center field, second base. shortstop, and third base. Most notably, Taylor was the MVP of the National League Championship Series in 2017 and was part of the Dodgers World Series Championship team in 2020, following the COVID-19 abbreviated 2020 season.

Not only that, In 2021, he made his first All-Star appearance, and he had great offensive success. Last season, Taylor slashed .254/.344/.438 with 20 home runs, 73 runs batted in and 13 stolen bases. Throughout the 2021 season, Taylor saw the most playing time at second base and in center field.

Taylor showed the world how hot his bat was in the postseason in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves. Though the Dodgers lost that series, Taylor gave it his all, hitting three home runs in just that won game.

Taylor, 31, is the fourth Dodger free agent to sign this season and the first to return since veteran Max Scherzer, shortstop Corey Seager and Corey Knebel all signed with other clubs. To make room for Taylor on the 40-man roster, Los Angeles designated infielder Sheldon Neuse for assignment.

On Sunday night, the Atlanta Braves extended their NLCS lead to 2-0 after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4. Braves left fielder Eddie Rosario lined a single up the middle, bouncing right off Corey Seager‘s glove to send home Dansby Swanson for the winning run.

Rosario’s hit capped off a remarkable individual performance, featuring a 4-5 night at the plate and some gutsy base-running.

The game itself was a back-and-forth thriller that embodied what makes October baseball so special.

The Dodgers took an early lead in the first inning when, with a man on first, Seager belted an Ian Anderson curveball over the right-field wall to put his team up 2-0.

The Braves responded in the bottom of the fourth, as Joc Pederson clobbered a 454-foot bomb off Dodgers’ ace Max Scherzer into the Coors Light Chop House Deck to tie it up at 2-2.

The score remained tied for the next few innings until the 7th inning. With two outs and the bases loaded, Chris Taylor punched a bloop double that went past a lunging Guillermo Heredia, who had just entered the game as part of a double switch, bringing home two runners to put the Dodgers back up 4-2.

However, the Braves responded in the bottom of the 8th with clutch hitting and aggressive base-running. With nobody out, Freddie Freeman flied out to left field, but Rosario tagged up from first base to narrowly beat Turner’s swipe at second.

The tag-up perfectly set up the following at-bat, whereby second baseman Ozzie Albies knocked a soft liner into short right field. Braves third base coach Ron Washington gave Rosario the green light to charge home, which fortunately worked out, as Rosario barely beat out the play at the plate.

The next at-bat, rising star Austin Riley ripped a Julio Urías fastball into the gap in left-center, scoring Albies all the way from first base to tie the game up at four apiece.

Then, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the man of the hour Rosario crushed the walk-off single off the flamethrower Kenley Jansen.

“I’m really happy that the team and manager put their confidence in me to put me in the leadoff spot,” Rosario told MLB Network. “I’m really happy I was able to come through.”

Game 3 of the NLCS will take place tomorrow in Los Angeles.

On Monday, Aug. 16, a 27-year-old woman from San Diego testified against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer. The woman explained that Bauer made her feel very safe as he shared his life experiences and seemed to be a gentleman as she was invited to his home in Pasadena. Things took an unexpected turn when their sexual encounters resulted in Bauer supposedly choking the woman unconscious and punching her.

The hearing at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles was to determine whether her temporary restraining order on Bauer would be extended. At this hearing, she explained the initial encounter with Bauer on social media and the relationship that followed.

The woman is a lifelong baseball fan and the daughter of a coach. On April 18, while watching the Dodgers play the San Diego Padres, she posted a picture on Instagram and tagged Bauer. To her surprise, Bauer responded to the post. After exchanging messages, Bauer invited her to his home in Pasadena on April 21. The woman described her experience after arrival at Bauer’s home, saying they sat on separate couches and spoke about intimate life experiences.

“I felt safe,” the woman said.

The two moved to the bedroom shortly after. She said Bauer got increasingly aggressive, and she said she was “OK with a little bit of rough sex.” Shortly after, the woman explained Bauer wrapped her hair around her throat and choked her unconscious. The woman testified that when she regained consciousness, she discovered Bauer had anal sex with her.

“I woke up confused because I had never gone unconscious before. I felt sick to my stomach and thought I was going to vomit.”

The woman admitted she spent the night with Bauer before returning to San Diego the next morning. She testified that over the next several weeks, she and Bauer exchanged flirtatious messages. The woman also explained she spoke of him highly to her friends, calling him “super intelligent and an open book.”

The woman said she returned to Bauer’s residence on May 15 to build on the positive emotional conversation and get past the negative sexual experience. After spending quality time talking, they again moved to the bedroom. The woman recalls Bauer asking her what is off-limits.  “I didn’t know what to say,” she testified. “I said not to put your fingers down my throat.”

The woman claims Bauer proceeded to choke her with her hair twice in the following few minutes. The woman lost consciousness, and Bauer punched her in the left side of her face when she gained consciousness. The woman says this was the first time she had ever been punched. Because of this, she froze and was unable to stop the assault.

Bauer stood still, emotionless during the testimony in his dark suit and COVID-19 facemask alongside his attorney, Shawn Holley. Holley was a part of the legal team that defended O.J. Simpson against murder charges.

The woman will retake the stand in front of Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman. She is the second woman who has filed for a restraining order against Bauer.

Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is rapidly approaching. Now is the time to make predictions for each team heading into the 2021 season, following a 2020 pandemic-shortened campaign.

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After making the postseason for seven straight years without a World Series title, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally won it all in 2020. Los Angeles has six other World Series titles. They’ve also lost in the championship series a total of 14 times. In 2020, the Dodgers led the majors in ERA with a 3.02 ERA and home runs with a total of 118. Things are looking good once again for Los Angeles in 2021, and they have what it takes to make it to the World Series.

Here are the Dogers’ projected starters.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS PROJECTED BATTING ORDER:

1. OF Mookie Betts
2. SS Corey Seager
3. 3B Justin Turner
4. OF Cody Bellinger
5. 1B Max Muncy
6. C Will Smith
7. OF A.J. Pollock
8. 2B Gavin Lux
9. Pitcher

LOS ANGELES DODGERS PROJECTED PITCHING STAFF:

• SP1 Clayton Kershaw
• SP2 Trevor Bauer
• SP3 Walker Buehler
• SP4 David Price
• SP5 Julio Urias
• CL Kenley Jansen

LOS ANGELES DODGERS TEAM OUTLOOK:

The Dodgers made impactful moves throughout the offseason. One of those moves was that they made the power move to sign Trevor Bauer. They also acquired Corey Knebel to bolster their bullpen and resigned third baseman Justin Turner. Not only that, the Dodgers acquired Sheldon Neuse from a minor deal with the Oakland Athletics. During the offseason, Los Angeles lost outfielder Joc Pederson, second baseman Enrique Hernandez, relievers Pedro Baez and Jake McGee, and starter Alex Wood.

Regarding their starting rotation, the Dodgers have three elite arms plus three developing pitchers in Julio Urias, Tony Gonsolin, and Dustin May. Their bullpen could use some tweaking as Kenley Jansen struggled in 2020. Regarding offense, the top of the lineup has an abundance of power. Catcher Will Smith and second baseman Gavin Lux also provide upsides. The Dodgers have the best roster in all of baseball, and their starting pitching depth provides them with the push they need to be back in the World Series in 2021.

Los Angeles Dodgers Schedule:

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On Wednesday, the 2020 World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Walker Buehler avoided a salary arbitration hearing by agreeing to a two-year, $8-million contract. The arbitration hearing was scheduled for Thursday.

The Dodgers have already avoided arbitration with star outfielder Cody Bellinger, 2020 World Series MVP Corey Seager, lefty Julio Urias and reliever Dylan Florio. Bellinger agreed to a $16.1 million deal in 2021 and Seager agreed to $13.75 million for this season.

In Buehler’s case, if he makes regular starts this year and wins a Cy Young Award, his deal could escalate beyond $12.12 million. Not only that, Buehler gets a $2 million signing bonus and salaries of $2.75 million in 2021 and $3.25 million in 2022.

According to The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal, based on starts, his 2022 salary can increase by $3 million to $6.25 million and $500,000 for each 14, 16, 18, 20, 24 and 28.

Hypothetically, Buehler’s 2022 salary would increase by more than $1.2 million if he wins the 2021 Cy Young Award, or by $625,000 if he is second or third in the 2021 NL Cy Young voting.

Buehler, 26, was the Dodgers’ ace and helped them win their first World Series title since 1988 in 2020. In 2019, Buehler went 14-4 with a 3.26 ERA. During the 60-game abbreviated regular season, Buehler went 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA over eight starts. In the 2020 postseason, the right-hander went 2.0 and posted a 1.80 ERA over four starts.

Buehler was eligible for arbitration for the first time, after earning $233,518 in prorated pay in 2020 from a $603,500 salary. He has 2 years, 168 days of major league service, and will be eligible to hit the free-agent market after the 2024 season.

Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Kelly earned himself an eight-game suspension last week for causing the benches to clear during a Dodgers-Astros when he hit Astros batters with a few pitches and then visibly mocked the team to their faces. A week later on a podcast hosted by his teammate Ross Stripling, Kelly explained his anger and criticized the Astros over their handling of a cheating scandal that broke this offseason. “The people who took the fall for what happened is nonsense,” Kelly said. “Yes, everyone is involved. But the way that [sign-stealing system] was run over there was not from coaching staff…. They’re not the head boss in charge of that thing. It’s the players. So now the players get the immunity, and all they do is go snitch like a little b—-, and they don’t have to get fined, they don’t have to lose games. When you take someone’s livelihood … to save your own ass, that’s what I don’t like. Cheating? They cheated. Everyone knows they’re cheaters. They know they’re cheaters. It’s over. That’s been there, done that. But now they mess it up by ruining other people’s lives, so they f—ed it up twice…. When you taint someone’s name to save your own name, this is one of the worst things that you could probably do…. That really friggin’ bugs me. I think I’ll be irritated forever.”

This was reportedly taped earlier in August before the MLB heard his appeal to his suspension and the result of that appeal is still to be determined but these comments likely won’t do much to help his case since he continued to criticize the Astros and the MLB’s handling of the situation as a whole.