Did Philadelphia Phillies Mess Up Not Going 'All In' for Shohei Ohtani?

Knowing what could have been this year and beyond, the Philadelphia Phillies might look back with regret they didn't go after Shohei Ohtani more aggressively.

Sep 1, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) looks on against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning at Chase Field / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Rewinding to this past offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies sat dealing with the disappointment of not putting away the Arizona Diamondbacks during the National League Championship Series to give themselves another shot at the World Series title.

Considering the banged up Texas Rangers emerged from the other side, a good stretch that produced four wins could have brought home their first championship since 2008.

Instead, the front office had to figure out how they could keep this window open with so many star players on this roster.

Having an owner willing to spend money combined with an ultra-aggressive Dave Dombrowski in charge, made many analysts and insiders think they could be a candidate to attack the free agency market in search of creating a roster with very few holes.

Last winter provided teams with the chance of landing the game's best player when Shohei Ohtani hit the open market, something that has been virtually unprecedented in sports history.

The Phillies would have loved to figure out a way to get him onto their team, just like every club in the MLB, but knowing the two-way megastar would be commanding a deal that would make him the highest-paid player in the history of baseball, that made things difficult for the Phillies who already have one most expensive payrolls in the sport.

Still, landing someone like Ohtani would change the outlook of Philadelphia for years to come.

Just imagine the two-time MVP in the same lineup as Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos and their other emerging players. Not to mention he would be at the top of their rotation alongside Zack Wheeler and the newly re-signed Aaron Nola.

But the Phillies decided to pass on truly going after the phenom, something they could regret if this crop of talent isn't able to deliver a World Series title when it's all said and done.

The struggles by Philadelphia in the second half of this campaign firmly point that out.

While Harper had been in the running for MVP alongside Ohtani for much of the season, his fall off in production has made him a longshot as he's dealing with multiple injuries that have affected his play.

Turner and Schwarber are going through prolonged slumps, something that has turned this lineup from being a juggernaut, into being beatable by lesser teams around the league.

And when considering there are now real questions regarding their starting unit going forward with Taijuan Walker struggling to the point where he's been demoted to the bullpen and their minor leaguers not ready to get Major League hitters out at a consistent rate, there is a glaring hole the front office might have to address in future years.

Ohtani would have fixed all of that.

Just look at what he's done with the Los Angeles Dodgers during his first season with the team.

Not only has he made MLB history by being the first player to ever hit 43 home runs and steal 43 bases in the same year, he's likely going to become the first player to ever win MVP by solely being the designated hitter.

What's made this even more impressive is he's putting up these numbers with Mookie Betts being out for months and Freddie Freeman having his worst season in almost 10 years.

Ohtani has been the entirety of the Dodgers this season, and he's not even pitching.

He's kept that team afloat until Betts made his return, allowing Los Angeles to take over the best record in baseball once more talent entered their lineup.

Ohtani would have made the Phillies virtually "struggle proof" this year and beyond.

Harper starts slow? No problem.

Turner is having issues getting on base? Ohtani will make up for it.

Schwarber and Castellanos aren't putting the ball over the fence? One of the best power hitters the game has ever seen will pick up the slack.

Philadelphia needs someone besides Wheeler or Nola to deliver a gem? It's Ohtani's turn in the rotation.

That's what great players do, and when factoring in he's just 30 years old and would have fit the timeline of the Phillies perfectly, it feels like a massive missed opportunity for the normally aggressive Dombrowski and free-spending John Middleton to not firmly put themselves in the phenom's sweepstakes.

Of course, there was a possibility he was always going to stay in Los Angeles, but the fact they were virtually never in the running to land the game's best player is a bit disappointing.

Now, Philadelphia will have to watch Ohtani take home his third MVP award and be the catalyst for a team who could be their biggest challenger in the National League throughout the rest of his career.