Baseball's biggest free agent prize has finally made his decision.
Two-way superstar, and two-time unanimous American League MVP Award winner is signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After weeks of fervent speculation, rumors, and unfounded reports, Ohtani announced his signing himself on his Instagram account on Saturday afternoon.
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According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the terms of the deal are for 10 years, and $700 million dollars. The largest deal in North American sports history.
Ohtani chose the Dodgers over other teams including the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and his former team, the LA Angels.
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Ohtani's agent at CAA Sports, Nez Balelo released a statement following the announcment:
"Shohei is thrilled to be a part of the Dodgers organization. He is excited to be begin this partnership, and he structured his contract to reflect a true commitment from both sides to long-term success. Shohei and I want to thank all the organizations that reached out to us for their interest and respect, especially the wonderful people we got to know even better as this process unfolded. We know fans, media and the entire industry had a high degree of interest in this process, and we want to express our appreciation for their passion and their consideration as it played out."
The Japanese pitching and hitting sensation was easily the most anticipated free agent in MLB history, so it was only fitting that he would sign the richest deal in the league's history as well.
The 29-year-old recorded a 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts and 55 walks in 132 innings pitched in 2023. As a hitter, he batted .304 with 44 home runs and 20 stolen bases. For most of the 2023 campaign, Ohtani was statistically the league's best hitter and the best pitcher.
However, Ohtani missed time towards the end of the season and was ultimately shut down as a pitcher after it was announced he had torn his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow for the second time in his career. He underwent a second Tommy John procedure in Los Angeles shortly after the regular season ended.
In his six years with the Angels, Ohtani never made it to the postseason. Throughout the 2023 season, when asked about his looming free agency, Ohtani insisted that winning was the most important thing. Certainly his new team will allow him the opportunity to that.
The Dodgers have made the playoffs in 11 consecutive seasons and won the National League West in 10 of those 11 seasons. They have won 100 games or more in five of the past six full seasons and were crowned World Series champions in 2020.
Ohtani is not expected to pitch until the 2025 season, but Dr. Neal ElAttrache told reporters that he will be able to hit full-time in 2024.
Ohtani, considered by many as the modern day Babe Ruth, now has an opportunity to surpass the Great Bambino and win multiple World Series titles. If he can accomplish this over the course of the next ten years with the Dodgers, he can create history again as the greatest baseball player of all time.
