*Photo from Sports Illustrated*
The verdict is in on where the best player in baseball will play. The Los Angeles Dodgers and DH/SP Shohei Ohtani have agreed to a 10 year, $700 million contract, according to an announcement by Ohtani.
Ohtani entered the offseason with his free agency being one of the most anticipated stories in baseball, coming off another season where he won the AL MVP unanimously, the second time he's done so. He's made his decision, and he's staying in southern California with the Dodgers.
The $70 million per year Ohtani will make with this contract is the largest in baseball by far, both in annual value and total value. It's also the most lucrative contract in North American sports history. There are deferred payments included in the contract and it doesn't include any opt outs, meaning Ohtani is locked in for all 10 years of the deal.
Last season, Ohtani was selected to his 3rd straight all star team with another spectacular season. At the plate, he had a .304/.412/.654 slash line with 44 home runs, 26 doubles, and 95 RBI's in 135 games. On the mound, he had a 3.14 ERA and 1.061 WHIP, throwing 132 innings over 23 starts.
Ohtani's season ended on a sour note when he tore his UCL in August. He underwent Tommy John Surgery to repair the injury and won't pitch in 2024 as a result. He's been injury prone in his career, but his immense talent on both sides of the ball help to offset injury concerns related to the contract.
Despite hitting 34 home runs at the plate and posting a 2.33 ERA and 1.012 WHIP in 166 innings in 2022, Ohtani finished behind Aaron Judge's historic home run season in the voting for AL MVP. He followed up a 8.9 bWAR season in 2021 and 9.6 bWAR season in 2022 with a 10.0 bWAR campaign in 2023 despite being shut down for the season in September due to his UCL injury and an oblique strain.
All 6 years Ohtani has played in the majors have been with the Dodgers interstate rival in the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani has a .274/.366/.556 slash line with 171 home runs and 437 RBI's as a hitter in 701 games. As a pitcher, he has a 3.01 ERA, 3.30 FIP, and 1.082 WHIP, throwing 481 2/3 innings over 86 starts.
The one thing that has eluded Ohtani in his career has been the playoffs, with the Angels failing to make the playoffs during the tenure of both him and Mike Trout, largely seen as two of the best players in baseball. While the Angels have missed the playoffs every year since 2014, the Dodgers have made the playoffs every year since 2012, including a World Series title in 2020.
With the Dodgers, Ohtani forms a trio of MVP winners at the top of the Dodgers lineup, joining forces with Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. When he is able to pitch, he'll slot at the top of the rotation, likely as the number two starter behind Walker Buehler.
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