The Los Angeles Dodgers have always been a top destination for Japanese talent. In the past, Los Angeles have lured players like Hideo Nomo, Yu Darvish, and Kenta Maeda. However, since the arrival of Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers are starting to grab the cream of the top.
In the same offseason that the Dodgers landed Ohtani, they landed Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Moreover, in the following offseason, Los Angeles signed Rōki Sasaki, and there’s speculation that this winter, they can be a destination for 25-year-old Munetaka Murakami, who is arguably the best player coming out of Japan.
Should the Dodgers land Murakami, it just signifies their pull with Japanese stars that has now become a sizeable gap between them and other major league teams.
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Why Have the Dodgers Become an Attractive Spot for Japanese Stars?
Vote For Your Favorite Dodgers Duo: Ohtani – Yamamoto, Betts – Freeman, Hernandez – Hernandez
On a recent episode of “The Colin Cowherd Podcast,” FS1 host Colin Cowherd explained why he believes the Dodgers have become a magnet for top Japanese talent amid their second consecutive World Series title.
“The Dodgers have so separated financially from everybody else on the West Coast that they always had money, but the gap now between the Dodgers and the Giants and everybody else, the Angels and the Mariners, is that these Japanese stars, between weather and proximity and how well-run the organization is, and the Dodgers are smart,” Cowherd said.
“So they said, ‘Listen, the only downside, the taxes, just defer the payment so you can get paid when you’ve retired and live somewhere else.'”
Cowherd didn’t mention this, but now having the most marketable names in Japanese baseball is also a significant plus. Players like Sasaki, Ohtani, and Yamamoto can vouch for how the Dodgers are run and how the organization treats them.
Is LA a Better Destination Than New York?
Cowherd, who lives in Los Angeles, also stated that the way the county is constructed, there are ways for professional athletes to get away and become anonymous and regular everyday people. Furthermore, he doesn’t believe this is possible in a city like New York.
“A friend of mine in New York was saying, ‘God, our teams are bad.’ But I said, ‘New York is cold. It’s intense. A much harsher media, the city tax. LA is spread out. You can hide,”‘ Cowherd continued. “… You never see pro athletes in LA. You can just hide. You never see celebrities in LA. And they’re everywhere. There are writers, directors, stars.
“Look how many pro teams were in LA. You never see athletes ever. It’s just so spread out. There are so many gated communities. Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Malibu, everybody’s got these enclaves. Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, windy road, you can hide [in] Thousand Oaks. The Dodgers right now, Steve Cohen’s got money with the Mets. The Yankees have money.”
The FS1 host didn’t go into detail, but another factor is the proximity; it’s a direct flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles. As a result, any player playing for the Dodgers isn’t just winning; they can also be back in Japan within eight to 10 hours.
Additionally, their navigation of American sports media outlets has allowed the Dodgers’ Japanese stars to be successful in Cowherd’s eye.
“Those guys don’t listen to our media,” Cowherd added. “It’s like international NBA players. They come here, they play, and then they go home. They don’t get caught up. Yoshi plays so loose in these big spots. He’s so unaffected by the intensity and the chaos of the World Series. I don’t know. I just look at the Dodgers, and I’m not sure another organization in North America is run like they are.”
