Shohei Ohtani, a baseball legend, announced on Instagram on Saturday that he had agreed to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the upcoming season, having signed the largest free agent deal in baseball history.
“I apologize to all of the baseball community’s supporters and participants for taking so long to make a choice. Ohtani wrote on Saturday, “I’ve made the decision to sign with the Dodgers as my next team
The 10-year, $700 million deal surpasses the highest-paid contract in sports history, which was previously held by Mike Trout (12 years, $426.5 million), Aaron Judge (9 years, $360 million) and Bryce Harper (13 seasons, $330 million) with the Los Angeles Angels.
The agreement is subject to a physical, which in previous years would have been a standard act. Given the money at stake and the drama surrounding shortstop Carlos Correa last winter—who seemed to have signed big deals with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants before reports of his health problems derailed those deals—it’s now regarded as a box that needs to be checked.
The soon-to-be former star of the Los Angeles Angels spent six seasons in Anaheim and five prior seasons in his home country of Japan with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
He posted on Instagram, saying, “The six years I spent with the Angles will remain etched in my heart forever.”
Ohtani, a two-time American League MVP, has brought an extremely unique skill set to baseball diamonds in North America, and the Dodgers have paid record money for it.
Ohtani posted on Instagram, saying, “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.” “I want to keep pushing forward for the Dodgers and the baseball community until the very end of my playing career.”
Players have largely been divided into two groups throughout the history of professional baseball: pitchers who are experts at throwing balls 60 feet and 6 inches away, and batters who are committed to hitting those pitches, which typically reach speeds of 90 to 100 mph.
