No reason to end the griping, sniping and debating over the so-called "Ohtani Rules."
Not until there’s time to better understand the issue, which bubbled to the surface this week after Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell made remarks that triggered a question laced with conspiracy.
If and why are Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers getting preferential treatment from Major League Baseball?
“First of all, Ohtani is a treasure, right?" Dan Duquette, former general manager of the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles, told USA TODAY Sports.
No debate there, and here’s what you need to know about the rules:
MLB teams are allowed to carry only 13 pitchers on their active 26-man roster, with one exception. Teams can carry 14 pitchers if one of them qualifies as a two-way player. Ohtani, 31, is the only player in the major leagues who qualifies as a two-way player under MLB criteria (more on that later). That means the Dodgers are currently the only team eligible for the exception
With 14 pitchers on their roster, the Dodgers get an extra arm that rivals don't have the luxury of having.
Another rule introduced since Ohtani came to America allows a two-way player who has finished pitching to remain in the game as a designated hitter rather than require him to play in the field.
Duquette suggests the "Ohtani Rules" are in baseball’s best interest.
“He is the most marketable player in the game around the world," Duquette said. “So any discussion about how he is employed on the field needs to be thoughtful and take into account the workload.’’
Ohtani, who is a left-handed hitter and right-handed pitcher, has undergone two elbow reconstruction surgeries on his right arm – in 2018 and 2023. As a result, he did not pitch in 2019 or 2024.
MLB two-way player rules
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has responded to Counsell’s insinuation that Ohtani and the Dodgers are getting preferential treatment.
"We're more than willing to have other teams go out and find a player that can do both (pitching and hitting)," Roberts said. “He's an exception because he's an exceptional player."
It’s more complicated.
One reason the Dodgers have Ohtani is they’re a big-market franchise that had the means to sign the Japanese superstar to a 10-year, $700 million contract in 2023. They’ve also spent massive amounts to money to surround Ohtani with enough talent to win two straight World Series titles and be favored to win a third in a row.
Other teams have tried to develop two-way stars through the draft. But Rick Hahn, former general manager of the Chicago White Sox, said there’s an inherent challenge.
“The challenge is that those two skills (pitching and hitting), when you're talking about an 18- or a 21-year-old and continuing that development in the minors, those two skills can very much develop at different paces,’’ Hahn told USA TODAY Sports. “The player probably wants to be in the big leagues. The team certainly wants to get the benefit of the drafted player in the big leagues.’’
The likely outcome: the player is called up to the major leagues before he has adequate time in the minor leagues to develop as a two-way player.
There was no such conundrum with Ohtani, who developed his two-way skills playing professional baseball in Japan before making his major league debut in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels.
Not to mention Ohtani is a baseball unicorn.
Shohei Ohtani pitching rules explained
A player qualifies as a "Two-Way Player" only if he accrues at least 20 Major League innings pitched and at least 20 Major League games started as a position player or designated hitter (with at least three plate appearances in each of those games) in either the 162-game season or the prior 162-game season.
John Coppolella, former manager of the Atlanta Braves, echoes a point made by Roberts, the Dodgers manager.
“The rule is not specific to the Dodgers," Coppolella told USA TODAY Sports. “All teams are eligible to carry a 14th pitcher if the player is classified as a two-way player. If Ohtani signed with the Yankees or the Braves, they would be treated the same way.’’
So why all the fuss?
Dave Stewart, a retired pitcher who won a World Series ring with the Dodgers in 1981, said he thinks people are piling on because the Dodgers' immense payrolls and success. That includes three World Series titles in the past six years.
“Anything that is in favor of the Dodgers, then everybody's got a complaint about it or they see something wrong with it,’’ Stewart told USA TODAY Sports. “But the truth is, if other teams had the ability to do what they're doing, they would do it.”
Stewart also suggested the absence of "Ohtani Rules" would create more harm than the current rules create benefit for the Dodgers superstar.
“If you got a two-way player that's capable of doing it… then you have to create a special rule, a special situation for that type of player," Stewart said. “You can't punish the player because he's capable of doing two things."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shohei Ohtani pitching rules for Dodgers benefit baseball
