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The long-awaited conclusion to the Shohei Ohtani free agency saga has arrived.
Ohtani took to Instagram to announce that he has reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I apologize for the delay in making a decision, but I have ultimately chosen the Dodgers as my next team,” Ohtani wrote in his post.
A post shared by Shohei Ohtani | 大谷翔平 (@shoheiohtani)
“To all Dodgers fans, I promise to prioritize the team’s best interests and give my utmost effort to be the best version of myself. Until the end of my playing career, I will continue to strive not only for the Dodgers but for the entire baseball community,” Ohtani continued.
However, there is more to this story.
As expected, Ohtani’s contract is the largest in the history of Major League Baseball, and by a significant margin.
According to Mark Feinsand of MLB Network, Ohtani has agreed to a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers.
That amounts to $70 million per year, which is nearly double the $35.5 million per year that Mike Trout signed for with the Los Angeles Angels in 2019.
It also surpasses the $40 million per year (9 years, $360 million) that Aaron Judge agreed to with the New York Yankees just a year ago.
To put it into perspective, Ohtani will earn $700 million over 10 years, which breaks down to $70 million per year, $191,780 per day, $7,990 per hour, $133 per minute, and a mere $2.21 per second.
Ohtani’s average annual value of $70 million is $8 million more than the entire payroll of the Oakland A’s in 2023. It exceeds the Baltimore Orioles’ payroll by $1 million, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ by $5 million, and the Tampa Bay Rays’ by $9 million.
That is an astronomical amount of money!
Now, the question arises: How will the Dodgers manage to afford Ohtani while remaining competitive?
There is a catch, though.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Ohtani’s contract includes significant deferrals, with most of his salary being deferred. This was reportedly Ohtani’s idea. By deferring the money, the Dodgers can reduce the impact on their competitive balance tax and allocate funds to build a stronger team around Ohtani.
Only time will tell if this strategy proves successful.
Nevertheless, the baseball world finally has an answer to the biggest question of the offseason.
According to the Source brobible.com