NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani agreed Saturday to a document $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The deal was introduced after days of hypothesis over the place the distinctive, two-way star would proceed his profession after six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.
“This is a unique, historic contract for a unique, historic player,” Ohtani‘s agent, Nez Balelo of CAA Sports, said in a statement. “He is excited to begin this partnership, and he structured his contract to reflect a true commitment from both sides to long-term success.”
Ohtani‘s total was 64% higher than baseball’s earlier document, a $426.5 million, 12-year deal for Angels outfielder Mike Trout that started in 2019.
His $70 million common wage is 62% above the earlier excessive of $43,333,333, shared by pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander with offers they struck when signing with the New York Mets. Ohtani‘s average salary nearly doubles the roughly $42.3 million he earned with the Angels.
Ohtani’s resolution got here six years and at some point after he first agreed to his take care of Angels.
Ohtani has redefined trendy baseball since he selected the Angels as his first main league group. Nobody has come near matching his simultaneous achievements on the plate and on the mound, turning into one of many majors’ elite gamers in each roles every time wholesome. Along the way in which, he’s turn into one of the marketable athletes on the earth, certain to spice up ticket gross sales, TV rankings and sponsorship revenues wherever he goes.
He was a unanimous AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 – he completed second in 2022 – profitable this 12 months regardless of injuring his elbow in late August and an indirect muscle in early September.
Ahead of his thirtieth birthday on July 5, he has a .274 common with 171 homers, 437 RBIs and 86 stolen bases together with a 39-19 document with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts in 481 2/3 innings. Ohtani has 34.7 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), per Baseball Reference.
The Halos are a perennial also-ran, each within the AL standings and within the Los Angeles market, however they received Ohtani’s companies in late 2017 partly by promising him the liberty to coach and to play nonetheless he wished. Ohtani instantly dazzled the whole sport in 2018, batting .285 with 22 homers and 61 RBIs as a delegated hitter and going 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts.
Ohtani received the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2017 regardless of making only one pitching look after early June because of an injured elbow ligament that required Tommy John surgical procedure following the season. Ohtani made simply two mound appearances within the subsequent two years whereas persevering with to play because the Angels’ DH.
When his arm was lastly wholesome in 2021, Ohtani put collectively a season for the ages.
He received the AL MVP award with 46 homers and 100 RBIs on the plate whereas going 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA on the mound. He improved as a pitcher in 2022, going 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP whereas nonetheless driving in 95 runs on the plate, however completed behind Aaron Judge within the MVP voting after the Yankees star hit an AL document 62 homers.
After profitable the MVP award within the World Baseball Classic final March whereas main Japan to victory – he struck out Trout to finish the match – Ohtani maintained his two-way magnificence this 12 months, hitting 44 homers with a career-high 1.066 OPS whereas going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA earlier than tearing his elbow ligament once more on Aug. 23. He didn’t hit after Sept. 3 due to the strained proper indirect.
Along along with his elbow accidents, Ohtani’s transcendent success has include one other vital damper: He has by no means made the playoffs and even performed on a profitable group within the majors. Owner Arte Moreno’s Angels haven’t received greater than 80 video games or completed increased than third within the AL West throughout his tenure alongside Trout, a three-time AL MVP, and a perennially disappointing forged of supporting gamers.
Ohtani earned $42,269,259 in his six seasons with the Angels. After receiving a signing bonus of $2,315,000 along with his preliminary deal, he had salaries of $545,000, $650,000, $259,259 (within the pandemic-shortened 2020 season), $3 million, $5.5 million and $30 million.
