After years of speculation and predictions, Shohei Ohtani has finally found his new home in MLB free agency. The two-way phenom has reportedly agreed to leave the Los Angeles Angels to sign with the crosstown Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal is worth $700 million across 10 years.
The Angels had to have known this was a probability, as they wasted no time taking down the massive Ohtani mural outside Angel Stadium:
Ohtani won two MVP awards in the last three years with the Angels. He won his first MVP award in 2021.
Ohtani finished the 2021 season with a 3.18 ERA and 156 strikeouts. He slashed .257/.372/.592 for the Angels with a .965 OPS at the plate. Ohtani added 46 home runs, 100 RBIs, 26 stolen bases, and a league-leading eight triples on offense.
Ohtani continued to dominate in all facets of the game but narrowly missed out on winning his second MVP award in 2022 because Aaron Judge enjoyed a historic season. Still, Ohtani was clearly the best player in baseball.
In 2023, Ohtani enjoyed another terrific season for the Angels. He missed the final month of the year due to an injury but still accomplished enough overall to earn the MVP.
Ohtani was the obvious favorite, leading the league in home runs (44), OBP (.412), slugging (.654), OPS (1.066) and OPS-plus (184). He added a .304 batting average, 95 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases. He finished the season on the mound for the Angels with a 3.14 ERA, 1.061 WHIP and 167 strikeouts.
Again, he did suffer an elbow injury pitching for the Angels last season that will keep him off the mound in 2024. Ohtani does hope to pitch again in 2025 though. For now, he will focus on hitting in the middle of the Dodgers' lineup in 2024.
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