After six historic years with the Los Angeles Angels, Shohei Ohtani became the most coveted free agent in MLB history after the 2023 season.
The two-time superstar’s list of suitors included the Los Angeles Dodgers, who made a strong push to sign Ohtani when he first made the jump to the Majors in 2017.
The Dodgers were among the teams who met with Ohtani during the free agency process and they left no stone unturned. L.A. played a video of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant attempting to recruit Ohtani from years prior, which is said to have made a big impact on his decision.
The Dodgers also gifted Ohtani a box of team-themed dog chew toys for Decoy, which president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman believes helped seal the deal, via Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated:
The Dodgers had one more surprise. They waited until the end of their three-hour meeting, then handed Ohtani a gift box. He opened it and immediately burst out laughing and smiling. It was filled with Dodger-themed dog chew toys. It might have been the biggest hit of the day.
“It was our secret weapon,” Friedman says.
Ohtani’s dog became wildly popular during the 2023 American League MVP announcement and weeks after as the public yearned to learn the pet’s name.
“His name is Dekopin,” Ohtani said during his introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium. “That’s a Japanese name. I figured it would be hard for American people to announce it, so he has an American name, Decoy. So you can call him Decoy or Dekopin.”
Some fans speculated that the name of Ohtani’s dog was related to the team he would sign. However, the name has nothing to do with baseball as “Dekopin” in Japanese means to flick one’s forehead.
Shohei Ohtani winning with Dodgers
Ohtani’s first two seasons with the Dodgers could not have gone any better as the team captured back-to-back World Series titles. It’s prompted Ohtani to tell Friedman and team president and CEO Stan Kasten that he’s counting on winning a championship every year with the Dodgers.
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