During the Major League Baseball offseason, attention is heavily focused on player movement—especially free agents deciding which teams to join.

In the 2023 offseason, Shohei Ohtani himself was at the center of that conversation. In 2024, it was Juan Soto of the New York Yankees.

Teams that successfully acquire star players immediately strengthen their rosters, while others must adjust by finding alternative signings or making trades. As a result, team lineups often look completely different from one year to the next.

According to Ohtani, this constant turnover is one of the unique difficulties of competing in Major League Baseball.

Even during his time with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan, player movement existed—through drafts, trades, and free agency—but it was far less dramatic than in MLB.

In the majors, young players can rise quickly, and established stars continue evolving in response to that competition. The landscape at the top changes rapidly, and staying at the same level is not enough.

To keep up, Ohtani believes he must continue improving at a pace that matches—or exceeds—the ever-changing competition around him.

For him, growth is not optional.
It’s a necessity just to stay in the game.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

Baseball Youth II: MLB Edition 2018–2024 – Shohei Ohtani Long Interview, p.151