CAA looking to restructure Ohtani's inner circle following Mizuhara scandal

CAA has “worked to insulate” Dodgers P/DH Shohei Ohtani from worrying about "anything aside from his hitting and pitching," but even with the infrastructure CAA built around Ohtani, “nothing could account” for the behavior of former longtime translator Ippei Mizuhara, according to Lindsey Adler of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. CAA “promised” Ohtani a comprehensive support network that “included a bookkeeper, a financial manager, an accountant, a sports marketing expert for his personal brand, and a lead agent who would negotiate eye-watering contracts for Ohtani’s transformational talent.” The idea was to “leave Ohtani completely free.” What the CAA team “failed to anticipate was how easily the whole edifice could be compromised by a single person.” The “weakest point in the protective fortress was Ohtani’s longtime translator.” In Ohtani’s world, Mizuhara was “given ultimate power.” He “wasn’t only the liaison” for Ohtani’s relationships with his teammates, coaches and the media, he also became the "de facto spokesperson for Ohtani on matters relating to CAA.” Ohtani “wasn’t the only person who trusted Mizuhara to his detriment.” According to a criminal complaint filed against Mizuhara on Thursday, Ohtani's lead agent Nez Balelo “did not speak directly to [Ohtani] or regularly exchange text messages with [Ohtani]. Instead, [Balelo] relayed messages to [Ohtani] through Mizuhara” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/13).