As if Shohei Ohtani's offseason has not been busy enough -- a World Series parade, accepting his fourth MVP Award, preparing to join Team Japan for the World Baseball Classic -- he's now doing the rounds to spread the word about his new children's book, "Decoy Saves Opening Day," which was officially released on Tuesday.
In an interview with NBC's Tom Llamas, Ohtani spoke about how the book came to be as well as a range of other topics, including whether the thought of a three-peat has crossed his mind. The Dodgers, of course, are fresh off their second consecutive World Series title, a seven-game classic against the Blue Jays.
"I don’t think about it too much," Ohtani said through a translator. "However I do hope when I retire and I look back, I can be able to say that I was on that team that won three championships in a row. That would be very cool."
The Dodgers have made big moves this offseason to put them in position for another championship run, adding closer Edwin Díaz before landing the big-ticket item on the market this winter, outfielder Kyle Tucker.
"I think what the ownership group has done is great," Ohtani said. "Obviously the fans pay money, they buy tickets and they come to the game. So I think that money is being used back to sign these great players and put out a winning product on the field."
As for his burgeoning writing career, Ohtani said he got the idea to author a children's book shortly before the birth of his daughter in April. Ohtani said he hoped to someday tell her his story, which goes hand in hand with Decoy's, and what better way to do that than to pen it himself. All proceeds of the book will be donated to animal shelters, but Ohtani did joke that perhaps his beloved pup might be miffed at being left out of the contract negotiations.
"Now that I think about it maybe I should have negotiated just a little bit to get Decoy some good food," he said.