Diamondbacks GM Gets Honest About Dodgers Landing Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani is a once-in-a-generation type player. For Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen, the Dodgers landing the best player in the game was a gut punch.
Hazen referred to Ohtani as “the superstar of all superstars.”
“And I don’t think you want the teams in your division to land the superstar of all superstars."
It didn't surprise Hazen that the Dodgers responded to another championship-less season by spending more than $1 billion on free agents in the offseason.
“When it’s that extreme, it helps you even more to focus on what we need to fixate and obsess over — and that’s what is going to make the Diamondbacks the absolute best Diamondbacks team we can be and see where that takes us.”
By the end of the 2023 regular season, the Dodgers were 16 games better than the Diamondbacks — but it wasn't the Dodgers playing for the World Series title.
The Diamondbacks expect to fly under the radar again this season and that's perfectly fine for Hazen because the attention on L.A. is deserved.
However, Hazen wants his club to forget about the 2023 Diamondbacks and focus on the club they have reporting to Spring Training on Wednesday.
“What we’ve talked about is doubling down on eliminating 2023 from what we’re focused on. It was amazing. It’s over. Dead. We need to focus on February 14 of 2024 [when their camp opens]. How are we getting better today to be able to go out there to play our best against the teams in our division and in the National League and focusing on anything else is going to expose our margin for error.”
The Diamondbacks addressed some holes in the offseason by signing former Dodger Joc Pedersen and adding Eduardo Rodriguez to the pitching staff.
They are loaded with young talent that includes National League Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll and postseason stars Gabriel Moreno, Alek Thomas, and Geraldo Perdomo.
The Diamondbacks should not be taken for granted this season, even if they are 20 games out of first place in the NL West.
