The Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday agreed to terms with Shohei Ohtani on a mammoth 10-year/$700 million deal.
The entire baseball world exploded on the news of the record deal, with everyone weighing in on the new Dodgers star's contract. Even Stephen A. Smith couldn't help but exclaim a NSFW reaction:
Although the Dodgers were the favorites to land Ohtani from the onset of free agency, the Toronto Blue Jays appeared to be on the verge of pulling off a massive heist on Friday. Many believed reports that the two-time American League MVP boarded a private jet traveling from California to Toronto. Subsequent reports further convinced many that a signing was all but official.
Those reports were quickly refuted and withdrawn, but the damage had been done to Jays fans who had to watch Ohtani slip through their fingers as he signed with the Dodgers.
Ohtani won two MVP awards in the last three years with the Angels.
He won his first MVP in 2021, where he finished the 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. That injury will prevent him from pitching for the Dodgers in 2024.
Ohtani was the unanimous 2023 MVP, 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.
Now he heads to the Dodgers to see if he can maintain that level of productivity.
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