Major League Baseball’s (MLB) biggest free agent, Shohei Ohtani, has officially signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers with a historic 10 year $700 million contract, as announced on Dec. 9th.
The 29-year-old two-time MVP began his career in 2013 playing for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Pacific League until 2017. Bursting onto the scene as an elite two-way player, being a high-level pitcher and batter, as well as occasional outfielder, Ohtani accompanied his team to a 2016 Japanese Series championship.
It wasn’t until 2018 that Ohtani made the move to the MLB with the Los Angeles Angels. After a shaky spring training and early season, he was able to prove his doubters wrong by posting a .285 batting average and 3.34 earned run average on the mound, pushing him to win the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year award.
From there on, Ohtani seemed to only get better, constantly posting excellent numbers on both the batting and pitching side of the field, a thing not seen since the days of the legendary Babe Ruth. After a season ending injury in 2019 and a shortened 2020 season due to the global pandemic, Ohtani held one of the greatest seasons for any player in 2021. He became the first player in history to have 10-plus home runs and 20-plus stolen bases as a hitter, while simultaneously holding 100-plus strikeouts and 10-plus pitching appearances, ending his season with a .257 batting average and 3.18 ERA. For his tremendous performance, Ohtani earned his first American League MVP.
Ohtani continued his historic career in 2022, even being a front runner for yet another MVP title. The 2023 season, however, saw Ohtani post a career high .304 batting average, and 3.14 ERA. He was also the first player in MLB history to have both 10 pitching wins in a season, while simultaneously slugging 40 home runs – even leading the American League with 44 home runs. Once again, Ohtani was given the American League MVP for his efforts. 2023 also saw Ohtani play in the coveted World Baseball Classic, where he was able to lead Japan to their 3rd championship while also winning the tournament’s MVP award.
Through all this, Ohtani never once played a game in October while wearing Angel red. Many around the world believed that the Angels were wasting Ohtani’s monumental talent with their lackluster team, a fate that has also befallen Angels outfielder Mike Trout. It was inevitable that he would want to move on.
Such as it was in 2018, the MLB went into a frenzy attempting to acquire Ohtani, with teams all over the league trying to meet and negotiate with the player. Many insiders believed Ohtani wished to stay on the west coast, as he himself had shown interest in the possibility.
With that, the Los Angeles Dodgers became one of the frontrunners and favorites to acquire the player. Dodgers President Andrew Friedman showed interest in Ohtani, and refused to sign many free agents throughout the past few winters, something many saw as a hint of the Dodgers’ attempt to save money and cash in on the player.
Many teams throughout the league were reported to have started looking for other players and turned their attention away from Ohtani as his decision became more mysterious. Soon after, the Chicago Cubs, who were in serious consideration for Ohtani, were reported to be out of contention for the player. Details for this remained vague and scarce.
Why were details so hard to find in regards to such a sought-after player? There’s a great reason for that. The two-way player reportedly made clear that any team who shared information of him meeting with them, he would heavily use in his decision in selecting a team, due to breaching his privacy. Because of this, many managers, coaches and staff members were quick to keep quiet and on the players’ good side.
Two problems arose from this. The Toronto Blue Jays, a favorite pick for Ohtani and a “finalist” in the eyes of many, were reported to have met Ohtani on Dec. 5. Again, this information was not supposed to be known, leading many to believe that this jeopardized the Blue Jays’ chance at acquiring Ohtani.
Others, however, were more willing to admit their negotiation process, against the wishes of Othani. Dodgers general manager Dave Roberts revealed that he met with Ohtani during the last week of November. However, Roberts claimed that the negotiation wasn’t much like a sales pitch or negotiation, but rather, a meeting to get to know one another and the team itself, admitting that “Shohei is our top priority.”
But suddenly, a day after Ohtani’s “meeting” with the Blue Jays on Dec. 5, things went blank. Negotiations went stiff, and no news came about Ohtani or any possible teams or deals, leaving fans in the dark and in anxious anticipation. Suddenly, on Dec. 9, Shohei Ohtani announced on his Instagram that he would be signing to the Los Angeles Dodgers, stating: “I apologize for taking so long to come to a decision. I have decided to choose the Dodgers as my next team.”
This sudden news took the sports world by storm, with many reporters and fans alike expressing their opinions through social media and news outlets. Shortly after this announcement, it was reported that Ohtani had signed a 10 year year contract with the Dodgers worth $700 million, making him the sole possessor of the highest contract in all of MLB history.
With the news still rocking the sports world, Shohei Ohtani officially became a Dodger on Dec. 11, to the delight of fans and Los Angeles residents as a whole. Many thought the Dodgers had blown their entire fortune on a two-way player, believing that he alone couldn’t win the team a World Series. Yet, the same day Ohtani became a Dodger, it was reported that he had negotiated to only receive $2 million a year, with the remaining $68 million being paid to him throughout the 2034-2043 seasons. This allows the Dodgers to be flexible with their money and invest in other players and season winning necessities.
With the dramatic tale settled, and Ohtani having found a new home in the Blue Heaven on Earth, he showed his enthusiasm and high hopes for the future announcing with Dodger officials: “I can say 100 percent that you, the Dodger organization and I share the same goal – to bring World Series parades to the streets of Los Angeles.”
Only time will tell if these desires and aspirations come true, but until then, Dodger Stadium can call itself home to one of the greatest players to ever step on a field.
Benjamin Flores is a Sports Intern for the fall 2023 quarter. He can be reached at floresbt@uci.edu.