Shohei Ohtani signs 10 year, $700 million deal with Los Angeles Dodgers

MLB two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he revealed via Instagram on Saturday afternoon.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the monstrous deal is for 10 years and $700 million. It’s the largest free agent deal in MLB history, topping the nine-year, $360 million deal Aaron Judge signed with the New York Yankees last offseason.

In a move many expected to take place, Ohtani joins the Dodgers after six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, in which he became arguably the best player in baseball.

“To all the fans and everyone involved in the baseball world, I apologize for taking so long to come to a decision. I have decided to choose the Dodgers as my next team,” Ohtani wrote, via Instagram. “First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved with the Angels organization and the tans who have supported me over the past six years, as well as to everyone involved with each team that was part of this negotiation process. Especially to the Angels fans who supported me through all the ups and downs, your guys’ support and cheer meant the world to me.

“The six years I spent with the Angels will remain etched in my heart forever. And to all Dodgers fans, I pledge to always do what’s best for the team and always continue to give it my all to be the best version of myself. Until the last day of my playing career, I want to continue to strive forward not only for the Dodgers but for the baseball world.

“There are some things that cannot be conveyed in writing, so I would like to talk more about this again at a later press conference. Thank you very much.”

Los Angeles Dodgers land Shohei Ohtani: More on the two-way star’s contract

At the dish, Ohtani has slugged 171 home runs with 437 RBIs while posting a slash line of .274/.366/.556. He’s been as impactful on the mound, going 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts in 481.2 innings pitched.

Ohtani, 29, captured his second American League MVP this past season, pacing all of baseball with 44 home runs, a .412 on base percentage, .654 slugging percentage, 1.066 OPS and 184 OPS+. In 23 starts, he went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 punchouts in 132.0 innings pitched. Ohtani’s 26.3 WAR over the last three seasons is by far the most in all of baseball.

The Toronto Blue Jays were rumored to be hard in the mix for Ohtani, but the Dodgers came through, and they were always the favorites.

Additionally, Passan provided some fascinating details pertaining to Ohtani’s contract, including how the Dodgers will compensate him the $700 million they’ve agreed to pay him.

“Shohei Ohtani’s contract has significant deferrals that include most of his salary — an idea, a source said, that was Ohtani’s. In deferring the money, it reduces the cost of the competitive-balance-tax hit and will allow the Dodgers to build a better team around him,” Passan added.

Shohei Ohtani making way back from surgery to repair torn UCL

Moreover, Shohei Ohtani missed the last month of the season after undergoing elbow surgery to repair a UCL tear in his right arm. He is expected to be ready to hit with no restrictions by Opening Day 2024. He will not, however, pitch until at least 2025.

“The ultimate plan after deliberation with Shohei was to repair the issue at hand and to reinforce the healthy ligament in place while adding viable tissue for the longevity of the elbow,” said Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed the surgery, via MLB.com. “I expect full recovery, and he’ll be ready to hit without any restrictions come Opening Day of 2024 and do both [hit and pitch] come 2025.”

Ohtani previously underwent Tommy John Surgery in 2018 to repair a tear in that same UCL. He didn’t pitch during the entirety of the 2019 season and made just two starts in 2020.

On3’s Steve Samra contributed to this article.