Shohei Ohtani stays in Los Angeles. The Japanese baseball superstar has chosen the Dodgers as his next team in what has been the bomb signing of sports in the United States. Ohtani, a unique profile who can play the pitching positions and be a powerful hitter at the same time, has accepted a contract of 650 million euros for the next 10 years with the Los Angeles franchise. “I want to fight not only for the Dodgers, but for the entire world of baseball,” the 29-year-old athlete wrote. On Instagramwhere he announced his decision after days of negotiations with several teams.
Nez Balelo, Ohtani’s representative, has described the signing as “unique”. “It is a historic contract for a legendary player,” he said in a statement. The agreement was announced this Saturday after four hectic days in which negotiations to acquire the free agent intensified. The athlete heard serious offers from Toronto, San Francisco and the Chicago Cubs.
The contract is 64% higher than the previous record achieved in 2019 by center fielder Mike Trout, who earned $426 million for 12 years with the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani has been playing in the United States since 2018. He then landed on that same team, which plays in the city of Anaheim, southeast of Los Angeles. His annual salary there is almost 40 million euros.
The pitcher will now receive 65 million euros annually. The figure shatters other large contracts signed by star pitchers of the MLB, the baseball league. Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander agreed in 2021 to receive about 40 million euros annually for wearing the New York Mets jersey, a franchise that invested aggressively in the hope of winning a title. However, they failed.
Ohtani’s contract even transcends the borders of baseball. He also surpasses the agreements signed by other US sports stars. He surpasses the 420 million euros of Patrick Mahomes, winner of two Super Bowls, with the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL. He also eclipses Lionel Messi’s contract with Inter Miami, which is estimated to be around €20 million annually. The Argentine earned 138 million euros annually at Barcelona. In 2021 he decided to cut his salary in half for four seasons.
Ohtani, who has never played in a playoff game in the United States, comes to the Dodgers with the pressure of winning a championship. The team, with one of the largest payrolls in professional baseball, has not been able to win new titles since 2020, when they won the World Series in the middle of the pandemic. It is the only title in 35 years despite one of the dominant forces in the National League. They lost two consecutive Finals in 2017 and 2018 against the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox, respectively.
Ohtani’s help, however, will have to be focused in the batter’s box for the time being. The Japanese underwent surgery on the ligament in his right elbow, his throwing arm, in September. His representative had then announced that the player will not pitch throughout the 2024 season, although he will be able to hit. His return to the mound is scheduled for 2025. He underwent the operation when he was leading the American League with 44 home runs and 95 RBIs. As a pitcher he had a record of 10 wins and 5 losses in 23 starts.
The Japanese star will then have to boost the team, which has been hampered by pitching problems. Star pitcher Clayton Kershaw is in the twilight of his career. Mexican Julio Urías, another prominent starter, was removed from the team due to a sexist violence scandal. Dodgers coach Dave Roberts revealed last week that signing Ohtani “was the team’s top priority.” Roberts’ words were the only ones in the entire winter market that made public the negotiations for a franchise with the Japanese.
The player’s close core has remained silent about Ohtani’s surgery, performed to reduce pain and regain mobility when throwing. It is the second operation of this type that he has undergone since 2018. Balelo then said in a statement that his client’s commitment was to remain a dual player. This has been questioned by some analysts in the United States, who believe that it will be difficult for the Japanese to maintain the incredible performance that he has shown since 2021 in the long term.
Ohtani is a unique phenomenon in the league. He has been voted the MVP, the most valuable player of the American League, in 2021 and 2023 (he came in second place last year). This year, he led Japan to win the Baseball Classic, the World Cup of sport, held in the United States. Ohtani led his team against the hosts and achieved the third international title for the Asians by striking out his Angels teammate Mike Trout as a closer on the last play. With the Dodgers, Ohtani is called to play in new finals.
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