Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Dodgers guaranteed Shohei Ohtani more money than the entire American League Central committed to its payrolls during the 2023 season. It's a testament to Ohtani's singularity, a uniqueness that helped make him the highest-paid athlete in North American professional sports history despite the uncertainty that surrounds his pitching future. But it also helps underscore what is being viewed in some corners as a widening financial gap within Major League Baseball, fueled by a deteriorating cable model that might finally be coming to a head.
In many ways, MLB's offseason has been shaped by it.