Most of you have probably heard the news by now: Shohei Ohtani's interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 20 amid allegations that he stole around $4.5 million from Ohtani to pay off his gambling debts. This story came as a shock to everyone and took over the weekend headlines. Everyone immediately started spewing their opinions on the situation. Now it's my turn.
I feel authorized to speak on this matter because Shohei and I are more alike than we are different. Ohtani is an international superstar from Japan who signed a $700 million contract this offseason with the Los Angeles Dodgers after winning his second MVP award in three seasons. I'm a former collegiate reliever with a career ERA north of five (barely north, also threw 90). If you search my name on Twitter, this video of me giving up a home run comes up:
In order to fully analyze this situation, it's important to understand how unlikely it is that what is being portrayed in the media is the entire truth. Is it possible that Mizuhara was the only one gambling millions of dollars from Ohtani's bank account without him knowing? Maybe, but that's a tough sell. It doesn't take a genius to conclude that Ippei (one of Ohtani's closest friends and the person he has trusted the most while living in America) is taking the fall for him. The contract Ohtani signed this offseason was not only large, but it was also very unique. He signed a record breaking, 10 year $700 million deal that makes him a Dodger for what will likely be the remainder of his career. However, according to MLB.com, "Ohtani will be deferring $68 million of his $70 million average salary, an idea that came from Ohtani himself. That means he will be earning $2 million per year from the Dodgers ($20 million in total) over the life of the contract." An idea that came from Ohtani himself you say? Interesting. Originally when these contract details came out, I assumed it was because Ohtani wanted to avoid California's high state income taxes and that he would move to another state or back home to Japan to collect the remaining $680 million, but now I think it's fair to wonder if there were other factors at play. Hypothetically, if Ohtani does in fact have a gambling problem, maybe receiving $70 million per year to bet with freely wouldn't be the best idea. In that case, good on Shohei for not enabling his habit.
Neither Ohtani nor Major League Baseball can afford to have any signs of him being involved in this scandal come to light and risk him being banned from the league. Baseball is already a dying sport that lacks the star power and entertainment factor of the NFL and NBA. They finally have a once in a generation superstar that is beloved throughout the world and who does things on the diamond that we have never seen before. Do you really believe that the league would be willing to get rid of him over a little gambling? The MLB recently announced that they will conduct an investigation into this incident in order to see who all was involved. I think it's safe to assume their findings will be revealed to have found Mizuhara solely responsible for placing bets and stealing money from his former employer. If this were any other player in the league, Major League Baseball should (and would) ban them for life. But it's not. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred isn't known for making the best decisions when it comes to increasing marketability of the sport, but this is his only option. Ohtani is a special player that could help usher in an entirely new generation of baseball fans around the world. He has a chance to go down as one of the greatest players in history, and the game is far better with him in it.
As for Ippei Mizuhara? I have a feeling that his old friend will take good care of him for falling on the sword.
Comentarios