Shohei Ohtani Signs Record $700 Million Deal With Dodgers
variety.comBarry M. Bloom The long wait for Shohei Ohtani to end his free agency is over. The great Japanese two-way star announced on his Instagram account on Saturday he’s signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a reported 10 years at $700 million, the richest contract by far in Major League Baseball history., “To all my fans and everyone involved in the baseball world, I apologize it took so long to come to a decision,” he wrote. “I have decided to chose the Dodgers as my next team.” Increasingly it looked like the 29-year-old would remain in the Los Angeles market, either with the Dodgers or as a return to the Angels on a shorter-term deal.
He met with the Dodgers last weekend in Los Angeles while the baseball world was converging on Nashville at the Winter Meetings, a gathering that was confirmed but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Despite rumors Friday that he was on route to Toronto to sign with the Blue Jays, Ohtani decided to stay put in Southern California, albeit just miles north from where he played the first six years at Angel Stadium. “First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved with the Angels organization and the fans who’ve supported me,” Ohtani said, “as well as everyone involved with each team that was part of the negotiation process… The six years I spent with the Angels will be etched in my heart forever.” The San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, New York Mets and Blue Jays were heavily involved in the process.
Ohtani became a one-of-a-kind phenom in baseball history because of his hitting and pitching prowess. Over six seasons in MLB, he’s won two AL MVPs and been named an All-Star three times, despite underdoing Tommy John surgery back in 2018.
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