Ohtani had contended all along that he wanted to play on a winner. With his deferral, they can now add the much needed pitching to round out that team.
Also, I don’t believe that Ohtani has a comp, so while the next big free agent might want a similar contract, they won’t be getting it. Soto is probably next, and likely ends up closer to $500M.
I don’t know what’s worse—knowing or not knowing what the return from the Dodgers was going to be? Especially if Jake was part of it, as rumored. I suspect Edys was in the deal, as they had to move him.
I love Ohtani, but $500+ million for a guy who may never pitch effectively again, seems excessive. Hard to quantify the marketing impact he would have for a team, though.