The biggest question of baseball’s offseason has been answered. Shohei Ohtani is joining the Dodgers.
Ohtani agreed to a mammoth 10-year, $700 million contract, the richest deal for a player in baseball history, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Saturday. The value of the package surpasses the $426.5 million given to former Angels teammate Mike Trout in 2019 over a 12-year term. Ohtani announced his new team on Instagram but didn’t reveal contract details.
A record-breaking contract was expected for an unprecedented talent who has excelled as both a hitter and pitcher. Ohtani has won the American League MVP award in two of the past three MLB seasons despite the Angels finishing fourth in the AL West in each of those campaigns.
Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo of CAA Sports, issued a statement on the historic deal shortly after the news broke Saturday afternoon.
“This is a unique, historic contract for a unique, historic player,” Balelo wrote. “Shohei is thrilled to be a part of the Dodgers organization. He is excited to begin this partnership, and he structured his contract to reflect a true commitment from both sides to long-term success. Shohei and I want to thank all the organizations that reached out to us for their interest and respect, especially the wonderful people we got to know even better as this process unfolded. We know fans, media and the entire industry had a high degree of interest in this process, and we want to express our appreciation for their passion and their consideration as it played out.”
Mark J. Terrill/AP
The agreement calls for much of Ohtani’s salary to be deferred, according to multiple reports, which will allow the Dodgers greater flexibility to surround the two-way superstar with complementary talent.
Ohtani, 29, put up the best numbers of his career last season, batting .304 with a 1.066 OPS, 44 home runs, 95 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. As a pitcher, he compiled a 10-5 record and 3.14 ERA in 23 starts with 167 strikeouts in 132 innings.
Those statistics almost certainly would have been better if not for a right elbow injury that ended Ohtani’s season on Sept. 3. He eventually underwent surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament, the second such procedure of his career. The elbow surgery likely will keep him from pitching until 2025.
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However, Ohtani’s best value is as a left-handed batter. He’s hit 40-plus home runs in two of the past three seasons, totaling 124 during that span. Last season, his .654 slugging percentage and 1.066 OPS were tops in the majors, while his 44 homers and .412 on-base percentage led the AL.
Ohtani signed with the Angels in 2018 following five seasons with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Japan’s Pacific League, a tenure that included a Japan Series championship. In Japan, he displayed the two-way skills that put him in high demand, hitting 48 home runs while registering a 2.52 ERA and 624 strikeouts in 543 innings on the mound.
After Ohtani was posted by Nippon Professional Baseball, allowing him to sign with a Major League Baseball team, he chose the Angels over the Mariners, Rangers, Dodgers, Padres, Cubs and Giants.
His initial two-year agreement under international signing rules was for $2.3 million, near the maximum allowed. In 2021, Ohtani signed a two-year, $8.5 million deal to avoid arbitration for two seasons. In his final year of arbitration eligibility before free agency, Ohtani agreed to a one-year, $30 million deal for the 2023 season.
