With the signing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325 million contract and Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract, the Los Angeles Dodgers made the two greatest splashes of the offseason.

 

Ahead of their first Spring Training with the franchise, athletes like Ohtani and Yamamoto reported to Camelback Ranch last week.

After hitting 11 home runs in 20 swings during his first live batting practice of the spring, Ohtani has already garnered attention. Regarding Yamamoto, he is still getting used to some of the adjustments brought about by the move to Major League Baseball, such as the use of a slightly different baseball from what is used in Japan.

Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group reported that Miguel Rojas disclosed that Ohtani and Yamamoto were included to the Dodgers group chat while they adjusted to their new team:Adding Ohtani and Yamamoto to their group chat should ideally help the Dodgers, who are among the closest-knit teams in the league, feel more at home. The Dodgers’ success this season will be greatly attributed to Ohtani and Yamamoto, and the sooner they settle in, the better.

Ohtani is expected to be the Dodgers designated hitter on Opening Day despite being out of the lineup this season as a pitcher. Yamamoto, meanwhile, is expected to start one of the team’s two Seoul Series games against the San Diego Padres. Positive group text from the Dodgers in response to Shohei Ohtani’s signing Evan Phillips disclosed that the club’s group chat responded well to the news that Ohtani was finalizing a contract with the Dodgers.