When news broke last month that the Los Angeles Dodgers had signed two-way free-agent sensation Shohei Othani to a record-setting 10-year, $700 million deal, Masyn Winn’s eyebrows raised just like yours and mine.

But unlike the rest of us — unless you are one of a small number of very talented and very versatile baseball players — the now 21-year-old Winn was a two-way sensation when the Cardinals selected him in the second round of the 2020 MLB draft.

The view back then was that Winn, if his offense kept up with his electric athleticism, could become a dynamic shortstop.

And if not, he could be a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher thanks to a high school fastball that projected as potentially elite.

Thanks to the Ohtani Effect, future prospects in Winn's previous position could be less willing to let teams steer them toward one route instead of two.

Winn’s not campaigning for a redo, though.

“It’s funny,” Winn said Sunday morning at Cardinals Winter Warm-up. “That was kind of the talk out of the draft. Watching Shohei and maybe comparing myself to him. But comparing yourself to Shohei Ohtani is not very smart. One of the best pitchers and one of the best hitters in the league. That contract was insane, for sure. Guys are going to try. But I don’t know if guys are going to be able to. Look at his abilities. He’s 6-foot-5, hitting bombs at the (designated hitter) spot. For a guy like me, one of my biggest assets is defense. So I’m not about to be a DH. I could go to the outfield, but it would be a little tough on the arm. It would have to be a special mix.”

Winn has plenty on his plate on the position-playing side, anyway.

First up: Locking down the starting shortstop spot by the time the Cardinals start their season in Los Angeles against Ohtani and his Dodgers.

His defense is ready, after some minor tweaks.

“I used to throw as hard as I could every time,” Winn said. “Now I try to hit Goldy (first baseman Paul Goldschmidt) in the chest.”

It's his offense that will be beneath a microscope. Winn posted a .467 on-base plus slugging percentage in 122 big league at-bats last season. The lowest OPS a major league team had at shortstop in 2023 was the Marlins’ .578. Winn has had a history of slow starts upon promotions only to find his traction at the plate before impressive takeoffs. That’s the optimistic view about his 2024, that he will hit the base paths running thanks to getting his feet wet during the Cardinals' last-place finish last season.

This team is at its best, the Cardinals believe, if Winn hits well enough to hold a regular spot in the lineup and Tommy Edman can stick in center field instead of having to be used as a shortstop. That lets the versatile Brendan Donovan roam defensively or locks in his plus defense at second base while Nolan Gorman protects his back with more reps as the designated hitter.

It won’t be an Ohtani deal if one comes, but count Winn in with Jordan Walker, Victor Scott and Tink Hence among young players the Cardinals are excited about and have to be at least considering long-term planning around if big strides are made soon. The Cardinals like locking up emerging stars. They don’t tend to do it before star turns, though.

Winn could be on the precipice of one, but don’t expect to see him on the mound.

He expects his lone professional inning, delivered as a 19-year-old at Class A Peoria in 2021, to be his last.

“I’ll never pitch,” Winn said. “They’ll never let me. I’ve had that conversation multiple times. Minor leagues. Majors.”

Unless ...

“It would have to be something crazy,” he said. “And I would have to probably throw with my left hand.”