Dodgers notes: Shohei Ohtani, 2026 projections, rotation strength

On Wednesday, Beats unveiled a new ad campaign with Shohei Ohtani, characterizing him as literally larger than life.

“Los Angeles is a city of energy, culture, and ambition,” Ohtani said in a press release. “Wearing Beats and seeing myself rise above the skyline feels symbolic of the connection I have with this city and our fans. We rise high together.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Ohtani’s ever-growing endorsement empire was chronicled at the Los Angeles Times by Bill Shaikin, who argued Ohtani’s $100 million in annual marketing revenue makes him “the global face of sport.”

ZiPS projections for the 2026 Dodgers were unveiled on Wednesday at FanGraphs, and while Dan Szymborski noted that the Los Angeles is projected to be the best team in baseball this season, there are some cracks in the armor, including an aging lineup and starting pitching depth that isn’t necessarily as deep as perceived.

“But after Emmet Sheehan and his 4.13 projected ERA if he’s used as a starter full-time, ZiPS sees the Dodgers’ spare rotation candidates as a decidedly below-average lot,” Szymborski wrote. “River Ryan, Kyle Hurt, Gavin Stone, Justin Wrobleski, and Landon Knack all have projected ERAs worse than 4.50 as starters.”

Speaking of the Dodgers rotation, it is pretty loaded at the top. Thomas Nestico at his TJ Stats newsletter ranked his top 50 starting pitchers for 2026, including four Dodgers — Yoshinobu Yamamoto at No. 6, Blake Snell 10th, Shohei Ohtani 25th, and Tyler Glasnow 27th.

“There are not many pitchers who can go toe-to-toe with Snell on a per-inning basis,” Nestico wrote. “This ranking is hoping that Snell can buck his injury trend and perform like a frontline for the Dodgers for over 160 innings. He can’t always get hurt, right?”