“Ohtani, all-time baseball genius, is a financial dimwit” - MLB analyst lands scathing jibe on Shohei Ohtani amid bizarre betting scandal

By the time Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers reach home after completing a two-game Seoul Series ending in a tie against the Padres, a whole lot of off-field issues await them with the two-way star at the center.

Amid their Seoul trip, Ohtani's interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired by the Dodgers organization for his involvement in alleged betting issues, and there's more to come.

New York Host's Jon Heyman claimed Ohtani to be a "baseball genius" but a "financial dimwit" in his hot take regarding the ongoing betting allegation ensuing Ohtani and his interpreter.

"Nothing’s been proven, and we need to know much more, but here’s the best case: Ohtani, alltime baseball genius, is a financial dimwit (not to mention a poor judge of character)," Heyman tweeted in his post.

He also wrote an article on the New York Post column titled, "Shohei Ohtani’s camp wants you to believe he’s a baseball legend and a financial dimwit," in which he narrates the entire incident from his viewpoint.

Previously, Heyman had also called out Mizuhara for not being a "good interpreter" and said that he should ask him questions regarding gambling when he had the chance.

Let's go through the entire controversy, which has headlined MLB news all over.

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Recap of what happened with Shohei Ohtani, Ippei Mizuhara and betting issue

The whole issue started when Berk Brettler LLP, the firm that represents Shohei Ohtani's interests, issued the following statement:

“In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,” Berk Brettler LLP said in a statement. (via the Athletic).

It was the result of an inquiry conducted by The Los Angeles Times, where the name of the Dodgers star came up in an investigation into an Orange County resident named Matthew Bowyer, who placed bets with Shohei's interpreter friend Ippei Mizuhara.

Shohei Ohtani is said to be involved in paying off Mizuhara's debts ($4.5 million) and reportedly helping him out of the situation, per The Athletic. That led the Dodgers to terminate the services of the interpreter.

Mizuhara initially told ESPN that Ohtani handed him the money to pay off his debts but later revised his version of events to say that his compatriot was unaware of his gambling.

According to Heyman, the only story that follows is that if Ohtani was made a fool by his longtime interpreter and that his analogy of Ohtani being a "baseball genius" and financial dimwit" feels right.