Los Angeles Dodgers officially introduce Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani officially donned Dodger blue for the first time today, five days after announcing a 10-year contract for a historic mountain of green.
The 29-year-old superstar slugger and pitcher joined with President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman for an introductory news conference at Dodger Stadium, completing his journey up the 5 Freeway following six remarkable, but playoff-less, seasons with the Angels.
Friedman called Ohtani ``the most dynamic player in the game,'' saying he has ``an unwavering desire to be great.''
``The ability on the field is obvious, but as we went through this process, to get a sense of just how passionate he is about this game really stood out to us,'' Friedman said. ``You can feel the importance of winning, and we knew that winning a lot was going to be a really important thing to him as he came down to making his final decision.
``... One of the many things we have come to appreciate over the years about Shohei is watching him never take a pitch off, no matter the score of the game,'' he said. ``I've seen him in games where his team is up big or down big, grinding each pitch late in an at bat, hustling, doing all he can to leg out an infield hit late in a game. While he won't be able to pitch this year, his ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball is something so unique, (and) no doubt incredibly inspirational to kids around the world.''
The two-time American League Most Valuable Player revealed his much-anticipated free agent move on social media Saturday, and the Dodgers made it official two days later.
Ohtani's 10-year deal is for $700 million -- the richest contract in U.S. sports history.
But, as has been widely reported, Ohtani will have $68 million of his $70 million annual salary deferred each season until after the end of the contract -- giving the Dodgers financial flexibility to acquire other stars as they chase a World Series title.
The two-way superstar is not expected to pitch again until at least 2025 after suffering a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament on Aug. 23. But he is expected to be ready to be the Dodgers' designated hitter when they open the 2024 season March 20 against the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea.
Speaking through a Japanese interpreter, Ohtani on Thursday thanked the Dodgers for ``giving me the opportunity to play here and believing in me as a baseball player.'' He also thanked the Angels, saying, ``It was a fun ride, great ride for the last six years. I would like to thank everyone in the organization. I'll never forget all the memories I have.''
Of the Dodgers, he said, ``They share the same passion as me. They have a vision and a history all about winning, and I share the same values.''
Asked what led him to choose the Dodgers as his new baseball home, he said, ``There's not really one reason, there's a lot of reasons.''
``I met with a few teams at the end of the whole negotiation process and honestly every team I met with and I had a chance to talk to, they were all great and it was a really, really tough decision for me,'' he said. ``But at the end of the day, I had to choose one team. And the Dodgers were my choice.''
Ohtani said he made his final decision to join the Dodgers on Friday, the day before he made the announcement on social media.
``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,'' Mark Walter, chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Guggenheim Baseball, said in an earlier 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 was the unanimous selection as the American League's Most Valuable Player in 2021 and 2023, the only player to earn that honor unanimously on multiple occasions.
He hit 46 home runs and posted a 9-2 record as a pitcher in 2021.
Ohtani hit a major league-leading 44 home runs in 2023, despite missing the Angels' final 25 games after injuring his right oblique while taking batting practice at Angel Stadium on Sept. 4. He also went 10-5 as a pitcher.
His $70 million average yearly salary far outdistances the previous record of $43.3 million for pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.
The NFL's richest contract is believed to belong to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at $450 million over 10 years. NBA stars Jaylen Brown, Nikola Jokic and Bradley Beal have contracts worth more than $250 million.
