BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 08: Manager Brandon Hyde #18 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on during the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 8, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Ohtani and Orioles Rumors Look Even More Ridiculous After Dodgers Megadeal
Throughout the offseason, the Baltimore Orioles were listed as a team who could surprise people based on who they might potentially sign in free agency.
They showed up on the list of teams who were connected to Shohei Ohtani and kept being linked as a possible dark horse contender to sign the superstar.
Not known as massive spenders, it was surprising for many to see the Orioles show up as a potential suitor for a player expected to bring in over $500 million.
Those links now look even more ridiculous after Ohtani signed a historic, 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers that makes him the highest-paid athlete in North American sports history.
Baltimore was never going to pay that much money. It completely goes against the front office’s current philosophy.
They don’t dump massive amounts of cash into one position, no matter how elite that player is.
Of course they would have liked to have Ohtani.
Every franchise would.
But, the rumors that listed the Orioles as a potential suitor never seemed realistic based on how little the franchise spends.
The contract structure that the Dodgers worked with Ohanti is also an interesting one, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, that might have made things work for Baltimore.
“Shohei Ohtani’s contract has significant deferrals that include most of his salary — an idea, a source said, that was Ohtani’s. In deferring the money, it reduces the cost of the competitive-balance-tax hit and will allow the Dodgers to build a better team around him,” he reports.
Still, the overall figure that he signed for would have never happened with the Orioles.
They’ll continue targeting positions that address the current needs they have now that Ohtani is off the market and free agency should really start to heat up.
