The manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dave Roberts, has humorously cautioned fans of the Los Angeles Lakers about Shohei Ohtani. As the Dodgers and the Lakers now share the same majority owner, Roberts said, “Hands off of Shohei. They got enough superstars wearing the purple and gold. Leave him alone.”

Social media buzzed with images of Ohtani in a Lakers jersey after the news broke that Dodgers owner Mark Walter is purchasing a majority stake in the Lakers for $10 billion.

FOX baseball analyst Ben Verlander remarked on social media, “We’re really about to have Shohei Ohtani out here dropping 50 on Christmas Day for the Lakers. What a time to be alive.”

Others humorously discussed Ohtani’s potential as a dual athlete for both the Lakers and Dodgers. One fan even expressed gratitude towards Ohtani, suggesting that by deferring much of his $700 million contract, he has financially aided the acquisition of the Lakers.

The Lakers currently feature Rui Hachimura, a Japanese player. Roberts commented, “I think Hachimura is taking care of the Japanese side of things. We’ll have Shohei on the baseball side.”

Previously, Ohtani attended a Lakers game with his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, who played for the Fujitsu Red Wave in Japan. Roberts hinted he might consider sitting court-side during Lakers games, adding, “I might add myself to the list of people wanting to get in touch with Mark.”