The Dodgers are still crying foul after Japanese two-way stud Shoehi Ohtani spurned them for the Angels in the offseason.
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw and infielder Justin Turner told the Los Angeles Times that they are still annoyed with Ohtani bolting to the other Los Angeles team. The pair broke away from their busy offseason schedules to try to convince Ohtani to join the Dodgers, which in their eyes was never a legitimate possibility.
“It really just seemed like it was pre-determined that he wanted to DH,” said Kershaw, who spent three hours with Ohtani on his wedding anniversary. “I’m kind of mad at his agent for making us waste all that time and effort. Fifteen teams should have been out of it, from the beginning. I know it’s probably frustrating for everybody in the National League. A lot of guys spent a lot of time trying to figure out what makes him tick, and try to get him over here.”
Turner, who broke away from wedding planning, also cried foul saying things seemed off from the start of their conversation.
“He might as well have not been sitting there,” Turner said. “We might as well have been speaking to a window.”
Things got dicier when Turner posed Ohtani a question on whether he’d prefer to hit or pitch, which he responded with: “Whatever the manager say.”
That didn’t sit well with the former Mets utility man.
“I felt like it was a waste of my time,” Turner said.
Ohtani, 23, will be used both as the Angels’ designated hitter and in their six-man rotation, put together to accommodate the Japanese import.
The Angels beat a slew of contenders, including the Yankees, for Ohtani’s signature in the offseason.