On Dec. 11, 2023, Shohei Ohtani officially signed his record-breaking 10-year, 700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani revealed his decision to sign with the Dodgers through an Instagram post just two days earlier where he announced his intention to bring a World Series title to Los Angeles.
After passing his physical and putting pen to the paper, Ohtani officially became a Dodger.
At the time, Ohtani’s deal with the Dodgers was the largest contract in MLB history and professional sports, surpassing the four-year, $674 million deal Lionel Messi signed with FC Barcelona in 2017.
But it was broken almost a year later by Juan Soto’s 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets.
Despite the colossal size of Ohtani’s contract, the payment structure is team-friendly due to the unheard of total of deferred money, pushing $680 million down the line.
Ohtani agreed to that type of contract in the interest of allowing the Dodgers continue to add talent in free agency, even going so far as to include language in his deal to ensure the team reinvests the money saved back into the roster.
The Dodgers have kept their word so far, adding Teoscar Hernández, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow later that offseason, and signing Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract the following winter.
Ohtani proved himself to be worth everything the Dodgers hoped for and more, winning the National League MVP in his first season with the team solely as a designated hitter.
But more importantly, Ohtani made the playoffs for the first time in seven Major League seasons and helped the Dodgers win their second World Series in four years.
Shohei Ohtani pleased that Dodgers ownership kept promise
Even though the Dodgers are contractually obligated to spend money to improve the roster, the 2024 season was a ‘rewarding’ experience for Ohtani. He also praised the organizations’ willingness to improve the facilities at Dodger Stadium, giving the player’s every advantage possible.
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