The Shohei Ohtani sweepstake is over. The MLB’s two-way superstar is taking his talents a few miles north to Dodger Stadium.
The iconic Japanese slugger and pitching ace on Saturday confirmed he will join the Los Angeles Dodgers and, according to ESPN, the deal is worth an historic $700-million over 10 years. Such a mega-contract makes Ohtani the second half-billion-dollar pro athlete in the U.S. after Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and by far the highest-paid MLB player in history.
“To all the fans and everyone involved in the baseball world, I apologize for taking so long to come to a decision,” Ohtani wrote on his personal Instagram account Saturday. “I have decided to choose the Dodgers as my next team.”
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Ohtani, 29, first came to the United States for the 2017 season, joining the Los Angeles Angels after five seasons as the biggest player in Japanese professional baseball. Over the course of his time playing in Anaheim, Ohtani, a rare combination of elite hitting and pitching, racked up awards—two AL MVP titles, three All-Star trips, two Silver Slugger awards, and Rookie of the Year honors—skyrocketing both his worldwide fame and his estimated value.
The Angels’ repeated failure to field a contending ball club led to widespread speculation that he’d depart for greener pastures upon reaching free agency after the 2023 season. And, indeed, he did.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved with the Angels organization and the fans who have supported me over the past six years, as well as to everyone involved with each team that was part of this negotiation process,” the slugger wrote of his time in Anaheim. “Especially to the Angels fans who supported me through all the ups and downs, your guys’ support and cheer meant the world to me. The six years I spent with the Angels will remain etched in my heart forever.”
Aside from the Angels, who were reportedly still attempting to keep him on the team, Ohtani was reportedly courted by the Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and even the New York Mets. His free agency was infamously marked by secrecy and unusual proclamations from Ohtani’s camp that any team meeting with him must not publicly disclose that they met with him—a leak his entourage said would be held against that team. (Dodgers manager Dave Roberts broke that rule earlier this month and spoke publicly about his meeting with Ohtani, but the slugger must have not begrudged the team too much to sign up.)
The two-way athlete underwent elbow surgery shortly after the 2023 season ended, and will likely not pitch in 2024 while serving as an everyday designated hitter. The fact that the Dodgers will miss a season of his ace-level pitching did not seem to affect his overall price tag.
