Dodgers Officially Announce Signing of Two-Way Superstar Shohei Ohtani
After a long wait and much speculation, the Dodgers have officially announced the signing of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. The biggest show in baseball is now a member of the Dodgers:
Ohtani and the Dodgers agreed to a record-setting $700 million contract over 10 years, with no opt-outs. It took a minute to get to this point, but LA landed the biggest prize of the baseball off-season.
The old saying third time the charm means everything in this situation. The Dodgers wouldn’t be denied after multiple previous attempts to sign him — out of high school, in 2017 when he left Japan to play in MLB, and now in second foray into free agency. The Dodgers had been anticipating this moment for years, and executed on their plan to secure Ohtani for the long haul.
Ohtani’s contract has already caused shockwaves throughout baseball. His contract calls for $68 million in deferred salary each year, putting Ohtani on the Dodgers’ payroll until 2043 and saving them enough money to spend plenty more this off-season without incurring a luxury tax.
Ohtani, 29, won the American League MVP award in 2021 and 2023, and finished second in 2022. As a hitter, he has a career .274 batting average with 171 home runs in 716 games. As a pitcher, he’s 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA in 86 career starts.
Now he will be bringing his two-way abilities to the NL West, hoping to help the Dodgers claim their first full-season title since 1988. Ohtani has never played in the postseason, but will likely do so in 2024, with the Dodgers having made the playoffs for 11 straight years.
While he won’t be pitching next season, he will still provide the team with one of the best designated hitters in all of baseball. He’s expected to rehab from his UCL tear throughout the season, and make his return to the mound no sooner than 2025.
Ohtani joins a Dodger team that won 100 games in 2023. However, the front office still has work to do to shore up a pitching staff that struggled in a three-game NL Division Series loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in October.
LA has full confidence that Ohtani will return to being the most dynamic player the game has ever seen – as indicated by the largest contract in baseball history by total value. The Dodgers are all-in with Ohtani in the mix, and are now the talk of the baseball world. Now, Ohtani will be the face of the Dodgers franchise for the rest of his career.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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Even with the signing of Shooey, I still think the team to beat in the NLWest is AZ. There is nothing that tops hungry, athletic, young ballplayers in this game. They are not impressed with guys like Shooey, Mooks and Frinkman. If I were a ballplayer on another team, I’d be chomping at the bit to play the Dodgers every time because there is nothing better than dishing out plates filled with humble pie to prima donna’s.
So I take it you’ve never seen or heard the way Mookie Freddie or Shohei speak. They’re anything but prima donna’s. And the fact that you went out of your way to call them out of their names while accusing them of being something they’re not really says a lot about you. The admiration and respect they all have amongst fans and peers would counter your take.
Ralph: eloquently spoken like a true hater.