The wait is over and baseball’s most impactful star has a new team — Shohei Ohtani is a Los Angeles Dodger.
According to the reigning American League MVP himself, Ohtani has played his last game as a member of the Los Angeles Angels and plans to sign with the crosstown rivals for what is said to be a record-shattering deal.
Ohtani broke the news himself on Instagram.
“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,” the slugger said in his post.
ESPN reporter Jeff Passan announced that the deal is for 10 years worth a total of $700 million. It’s the largest guaranteed contract in sports history, Passan said.
It also includes certain deferrals that will allow the Dodgers to build a more competitive team around him, he said.
The decision comes after weeks of speculation, covert meetings and around-the-clock media coverage in what is arguably the biggest free agent decision in American sports since NBA star LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers and signed with the Miami Heat.
Like James, Ohtani has been better than advertised since making his debut in the world’s top league, making three All-Star Game appearances, four All-MLB honors, being named the AL Rookie of the Year and a two-time AL MVP, including in the most recent season.
A two-way star, Ohtani led the league in home runs this past season while also notching 10 wins against a 3.14 ERA as a starting pitcher. Since joining the team in 2018, the Angels won more than two-thirds of his starts in which he earned a decision.
But the Japanese phenom’s dominance on the mound was cut short this past season after he suffered a torn UCL in his throwing shoulder, leading to a surgery that will likely keep him from pitching through at least next season.
Still, despite half of his game-breaking skillset being put on hold, Major League Baseball’s most valuable and successful teams were in on the Shohei lottery, including the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and, of course, the Dodgers.
There were also whispers that the slugger might have interest in returning to Anaheim and giving it another go with fellow future Hall-of-Famer Mike Trout. But those hopes, just like the promise of postseason success, never materialized for the Angels.
In six seasons with Ohtani on the roster, the Angels not only failed to make the playoffs, but they never achieved a winning record.
In his free agency announcement post, Ohtani thanked the Angels organization and their fans for being the team that introduced him to the Bigs and welcomed him with open arms.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved with the Angels organization and the fans 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,” he wrote. “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.”
The announcement on Saturday comes following reports the previous day that he intended on signing with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Following that report, which turned out to be inaccurate, baseball fans began tracking a private plane that took off from Orange County and was apparently headed to Toronto, assuming Ohtani was among the passengers.
That plane touched down around 3 p.m. Pacific Time, but Ohtani, apparently, wasn’t on board. Who was? Canadian businessman Robert Herjavec of “Shark Tank” fame, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
With Ohtani’s decision now in the rearview, significant movement on the MLB free agent market is expected to begin with many teams biding their time in anticipation of that proverbial shoe to drop before making their own deals.
The Dodgers will now be able to field three former league MVPs in Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
After another inauspicious dismissal from the most recent National League playoffs, the Dodgers were determined to add more offensive firepower to the lineup, and Ohtani’s eventual return to the mound will also be a welcome boost for a team that struggled to find reliable pitching in the starting lineup.
As for the Angels, they’ve said they are committed to building a contender around Trout, despite some clamoring from fans to tear the team down to the studs and start over.
Losing Ohtani for nothing instead of trading him at his highest value has left many fans concerned that the same future could play out again in the coming years, this time with their beloved homegrown star Trout.