Shohei Ohtani Is Signing With The Dodgers For $700 Million

It’s official: Shohei Ohtani will change teams. In one of the biggest free agency decision in baseball history, Ohtani is reportedly on his way to the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to his own Instagram.

It had be been reported that Ohtani was considering a number of potential options in free agency, including the Blue Jays, which included some comical plane tracking that got Shark Tank fans involved. Reports indicated that he narrowed his list down to two teams in recent days: The Blue Jays, which would require him to move from southern California to Toronto, or the Dodgers, which would mean his time in the American League came to an end.

The deal is astronomical. According to Jeff Passan, it’s 10 years and $700 million.

Shohei Ohtani’s deal with the Dodgers is for 10 years and $700 million.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2023

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.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2023

You read that correctly, $700. Million. But for good reason.

After starting his career in Japan, Ohtani came to the United States in 2018. He decided to team up with Mike Trout on the Angels and put forth one of the most remarkable stretches of dominance in the history of the sport, as he was named the American League’s Rookie of the Year in 2018, the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023, and came in fourth place in AL Cy Young voting in 2022. Despite his individual brilliance, the Angels never made the postseason during Ohtani’s tenure with the team.

Last season, Ohtani led the American League with 44 home runs while posting an OPS of 1.066, which led the Majors. As a pitcher, Ohtani went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA, although his future on the mound is on hold due to elbow surgery he received in September. The most recent reports indicate that Ohtani will be able to hit during the 2024 campaign, and should be able to pitch again starting in 2025.