Andrew Friedman reveals Shohei Ohtani’s long-term goal

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has already ticked many boxes in his quest to become an all-time great, but there is still one major achievement he has yet to achieve. Now more than two years removed from another major elbow surgery and more than a year removed from shoulder surgery, the four-time MVP could be in contention for his the first Qi Young award in his career. However, his window will expand beyond the 2026 season.

In fact, if all goes as he and the organization plan, Ohtani will have a few more cracks at MLB’s top prize. Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman revealed long-term expectations for the two-time World Series champion.

“The idea {is} that he wants to deal with the next 8 years, we want to deal with the next 8 years,” the vaunted executive told reporters at Arizona’s spring training facility, according to SportsNet La . “I’m just trying to be really aware of it all.”

“The idea that (Ohtani) wants to deal for the next 8 years, we want him to represent the next 8 years. – Andrew Friedman on Shohei being ready for a deep October run.” pic.twitter.com/sViZV2jFTt

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) February 17, 2026

Will the Dodgers completely relieve pitcher Shohei Ohtani?

Leaning on Ohtani to break through the rest of his record deal seems overambitious, but until the Dodgers have a solid reason to keep the 31-year-old out of the bullpen, they’ll continue to trust him. Despite posting a 7.56 ERA in two World Series starts, he was still good overall in 2025.

Shohei Ohtani posted a 2.87 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 47 innings during the regular season. He then had a quality start in the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies and shut down by the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Championship Series, allowing three runs and 19 total in those two playoff outings.

While it remains to be seen how much his workload will increase, the left-handed and right-handed pitcher clearly intends to showcase more of his two-way superpowers this year. Ohtani finished fourth in the American League Cy Young race in 2022. Can he win it in 2026? That would send the sports world into a complete frenzy, but both No. 17 and the Dodgers are primarily focused on completing the three-peat and growing their empire.

An eight-year pitching timeline could help both player and franchise achieve enough brilliance to numb the baseball-watching public.