Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman Recall Initial Impressions of Shohei Ohtani in First Dodgers' Big 3 Interview

To borrow from the NBA lexicon, the Los Angeles Dodgers enter the 2024 season with a legitimate Big 3 of superstar talent on their roster. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani all own a ridiculous amount of hardware and resumes that would land them in Cooperstown right now, much less down the line when those resumes are even more loaded. It is going to be quite a bit of fun watching them all suit up for the same team next season, even if Ohtani will be a one-way player for the time being as he recovers from an elbow surgery that will keep him off the mound for a while yet.

And now, for the first time, the trio will do an interview together. On Monday night, MLB Network will air a sit-down hosted by Harold Reynolds with all three of Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman during MLB Tonight. In a first-look clip provided to The Big Lead, Freeman and Betts are asked what their impressions of Ohtani were like when they first played the Japanese superstar. It will come as no surprise that they were very complimentary of their new teammate, but the admiration they have for the excellence of their peer is quite genuine.

The interview will air in full on MLB Tonight at 7 p.m. ET on Monday.

In addition, this interview will air on the network's MLB Tonight: LA’s Big Three program, which will be aired live on March 27 at 10 p.m. ET as part of the network's "Baseball Eve" ahead of Opening Day.

It's just always cool to see really great players talk about playing against one another and the above clip has the added layer of Freeman and Betts' visible excitement that this guy is now on their team. All the different ways they've seen Ohtani be a problem for their team is now everyone else's problem, as it were. You can't blame Freeman or Betts for the glimmers of glee you can see when they talk about how freaking good their newest teammate is.

Thankfully the start of the season is right around the corner so we'll finally be able to see Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman in action. Ohtani's Dodgers debut will be on Wednesday morning as Los Angeles travels across the Pacific to face the San Diego Padres in South Korea, with MLB Tonight coverage following both that and Thursday's follow-up game. His home debut will occur on March 28 against the St. Louis Cardinals, which will also be MLB Network's first "Showcase" telecast of the season, with Bob Costas, Tom Verducci, and Jon Morosi on the call.

It's shaping up to be another great season and I, for one, can't wait to see the newest Big 3 in action.