Heartbreak: The all-time great Los Angeles Dodgers player announced the end of his contract in order to reach an agreement on a new contract with…
On Saturday, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a record-breaking $700 million, ten-year contract.
Days of conjecture over the unusual, two-way star’s future following six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels were followed by the announcement of the transaction.
Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo of CAA Sports, issued a statement saying, “This is a unique, historic contract for a unique, historic player.” “He is eager to get started on this collaboration, and he designed his contract to show that both parties are genuinely committed to long-term success.”
Baseball’s prior record, a $426.5 million, 12-year contract for Angels outfielder Mike Trout that started in 2019, was 64% lower than Ohtani’s total.
His average salary of $70 million is 62% more than the previous high of $43,333,333 that pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer shared with the New York Mets upon signing their contracts. Ohtani’s average compensation with the Angels is almost twice as high as his $42.3 million deal.
Six years and one day after initially accepting his contract with the Angels, Ohtani made his decision.
Now that Ohtani has selected the Angels as his first major league squad, he has completely altered modern baseball. When healthy, he became one of the majors’ finest performers in both the mound and at the plate, an accomplishment no one else has even quite matched. He’s improved his marketability over the years and is now among the most appealing athletes in the world, bringing in more money from sponsorships, TV ratings, and ticket sales wherever he travels.
He placed second in 2022 and was voted the AL MVP in 2021, 2023, and this year he won despite suffering injuries to his elbow in late August and an oblique muscle in early September.
He had a 39-19 record with a 3.01 ERA, 608 strikeouts in 481 2/3 innings, and a.274 average with 171 home runs, 437 RBIs, and 86 stolen bases before his 30th birthday on July 5. According to Baseball Reference, Ohtani has 34.7 Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
