There were a special set of circumstances that led to the Los Angeles Dodgers giving Shohei Ohtani the largest contract in MLB history during the 2023 offseason.
First, there has never been a free agent with Ohtani’s ability as a pitcher and hitter in the modern-day. Second, he was coming off one of the most dominant stretches the game has ever seen with two unanimous American League MVP Awards.
The fact that Ohtani would not be available to pitch in the first year of his contract due to recovering from the second Tommy John surgery of his career didn’t seem to hurt his market in the slightest.
Ohtani and the Dodgers ultimately agreed on a 10-year, $700 million deal, not only the largest contract in MLB history but the richest in all of sports as well.
However, it only took one year for that record to be broken by Juan Soto’s contract with the New York Mets, much to the surprise of Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts who couldn’t believe how fast Ohtani’s gargantuan deal was surpassed.
“No, I didn’t. I think it was one of those, just getting Ohtani seemed like it was going to be just the biggest coup, which it was. I really didn’t let my head go to 40-40, let alone 50-50. I thought about winning the World Series, but just kind of what he accomplished on the field,” Roberts began.
“I know you’re talking about the other thing. But what he accomplished on the field, it blows my mind. Then you talk about what just happened, I certainly didn’t see that happening, period. Very surprised. I think like all of us.”
After falling to the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, the Mets outbid their crosstown rival New York Yankees for his services. Not only is Soto’s 15-yr, $765 million deal presently the largest contract ever, it can also become even more lucrative after 2029.
The Mets have the option to void Soto’s opt-out clause by boosting his annual salary from $51 million to $55 million during the final 10 years of the contract, in which case the contract would become a 15-year, $805 million deal.
Shohei Ohtani’s delayed timeline to pitch in 2025
After some initial hope that Ohtani would be ready to pitch by the start of the 2025 season, that is no longer seems to be the case.
The Dodgers’ plan has since changed, with Roberts telling Japanese newspaper Sports Hochi in an interview that the team intends for Ohtani to resume pitching sometime in May.
Ohtani’s delayed start to pitching in 2025 is traced to both having left shoulder surgery during the offseason but also facing an innings limit and the Dodgers preferring to not have to temporarily shut him down at some point.
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