Shohei Ohtani is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of baseball player. Compared to Babe Ruth, he might be one of the best baseball players of all time. You might ask: Why is he worth the largest contract in sports history? There are tons of reasons why. But before we get into that, let’s dive deeper into Shohei’s history with baseball.
Shohei Ohtani is a rare baseball player. He is so rare because he swings the bat while throwing fastballs down the middle. Typically, pitchers only pitch, they are not included in the batting lineup. Ohtani was signed by the Los Angeles Angels before the 2018 season as a free agent for six years after he left Japan. In his rookie season with the Angels in 2018, he won AL Rookie of the Year with 95% of the first-place votes. In 2021, he was an All-Star, winning AL Most Valuable Player of the Year and the Silver Slugger Award. To follow, in 2022, Ohtani was second in the MVP voting, fourth in the Cy Young voting, but he was still an all-star baseball player. This previous season, in 2023, Ohtani had won the MVP award again, a silver slugger award, and he was an all-star player. But there was still something missing.
The Los Angeles Angels had missed the postseason opportunity every year Ohtani had been on the team. The baseball community knew that Ohtani deserved at least a chance at the postseason in his MLB career. After his contract with the Angels had run up, he and the baseball community knew he had to go to a team that knew how to win games.
Teams such as the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago Cubs were in the running to score Ohtani for this upcoming season. But it came down to two teams, the Blue Jays and the Dodgers. Just this past weekend, On December 9, Shohei Ohtani created a post on Instagram announcing that he will sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers finished first in the National League West Division in baseball, winning 100 games, and making the postseason. Just three years ago in 2020, the Dodgers had won the World Series. Star players such as Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts are currently on the team as well. This team was a great fit for Ohtani, and the Dodgers wanted him badly.
The Los Angeles Dodgers had offered Shohei Ohtani a contract with $700 million for ten years. To compare, the Los Angeles Angels had only given Shohei Ohtani $200 million for six years. His new contract with the Dodgers had exceeded the new record for the most expensive contract ever in North American sports. Ohtani’s contract with the Dodgers had surpassed Patrick Mahomes’ with the Kansas City Chiefs of $503 million for 10 years.
But there is a slight problem. Shohei Ohtani will only receive $20 million for the next ten years, which leaves the $680 million to be paid in the years 2034-2043.
Overall, Ohtani deserves the contract he got with the team he is on. His hard work and ability to be flexible between both very hard positions got him where he needed to be. Hopefully with his new and improved team, a World Series title can be put on his file within the next few years.
