The Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night announced their signing of two-time MVP Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year contract. While terms of the deal were not announced, Ohtani's deal with the Dodgers is worth $700 million. However, the payments will be heavily, heavily deferred and theoretically allow the Dodgers to continue fortifying their already imposing roster without getting into the deeper penalty tiers of MLB's Competitive Balance Tax on payrolls.
"Dodger fans, thank you for welcoming me to your team," Ohtani said in a statement released by the team. "I can say 100 percent that you, the Dodger organization and I share the same goal – to bring World Series parades to the streets of Los Angeles."
Ohtani, 29, had spent his entire MLB career to date with the nearby Angels, but leading up to his free agency had indicated winning would be a priority for him. While the Angels gave him very little of that, the Dodgers have enjoyed one of the best decades in league history in terms of regular-season success. Because of a recent procedure to address a tear in the UCL of his throwing elbow, Ohtani will not pitch in 2024. He will, however, continue on as one of the best pure hitters in all of baseball and then resume mound duty in 2025.
"On behalf of the L.A. Dodgers and our fans everywhere, we welcome Shohei Ohtani to the Dodgers, the home of Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax and Hideo Nomo, three of the sport's most legendary and pathbreaking players. We congratulate him on his historic contract with our storied franchise," team chairman Mark Walter said in a statement. "Shohei is a once-in-a-generation talent and one of the most exciting professional athletes in the world. Our players, staff, management and ownership look forward to working together with Shohei to help the Dodgers continue to add, improve and strive for excellence on the field. Together with Shohei, we will work to help grow the number and breadth of people around the world who enjoy the excitement of Major League Baseball."
Ohtani won his second American League MVP award last season on the strength of his 3.14 ERA in 23 starts as a pitcher and his AL-leading 44 home runs and MLB-leading 1.066 OPS as the Angels' DH. For his career, he's amassed a WAR of 34.7 across parts of six seasons in the U.S. major leagues.
Ohtani will become the 11th Japanese-born player to wear a Dodger uniform, joining current Dodger manager Dave Roberts, Hideo Nomo, Masao Kida, Kazuhisa Ishii, Norihiro Nakamura, Takashi Saito, Hiroki Kuroda, Kenta Maeda, Yu Darvish, and Yoshi Tsutsugo.
The two-way superstar joins a Dodgers team that has logged three straight 100-win seasons, has made the postseason 11 straight years, and also features fellow superstars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. While the Dodgers won the World Series for the COVID-abbreviated 2020 campaign, they have not won a full-season World Series title since 1988.
