Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had a reason for the smile on his face.
Shohei Ohtani’s destination was the Los Angeles Dodgers, as rumored by a friend’s testimony.
The ransom is unimaginable.
A whopping $1.07 billion ($92.4 billion).
It is the highest amount in the history of professional sports, not only in Major League Baseball, but in the world.
“I chose the Dodgers as the next team I will play for,” Ohtani announced on social media on Tuesday (KST).
Ohtani expressed his gratitude for his six years with the Angels. “
I would like to thank the Angels fans for always supporting me.
I will forever hold your support and cheer in my heart,” he said in a special farewell message.
To the Dodger fans, he said, “I will always do my best to give you the best version of myself.
Until the end of my career, I will do my best not only for the Dodgers, but for the entire baseball world.”
Ohtani’s agent called it “a historic signing by a historic player.”
MLB.com called it “the most expensive contract in professional sports history, surpassing soccer superstar Lionel Messi’s $674 million deal with Barcelona from 2017-2021 and Kylian Mbappe’s $679 million deal with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) through 2025 (2018-2025). 온라인카지노
In North American professional sports alone, the previous record was a 10-year, $450 million deal for National Football League (NFL) superstar Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs).
In Major League Baseball, Ohtani’s former teammate Mike Trout’s 12-year, $426.5 million deal and Aaron Judge’s nine-year, $360 million non-extension free agent contract were the highest.
The $70 million per year average is also an all-time high.
The deal will keep Ohtani, who was born in 1994, with the Dodgers through 2033.
However, he will not be able to take the mound in 2024 due to surgery last October.
Instead, he will serve as a designated hitter for the Dodgers.
He’ll be playing alongside Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.
Ohtani made his debut with Nippon Ham in 2013 and became an “Idoryu” phenomenon in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
He then moved to the United States, where he won Rookie of the Year honors with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018 and MVP honors in the 2021 and 2023 seasons.
Both times, it was unanimous.
The “two-way” player is one of the most decorated players in Major League Baseball history.
In six seasons as a pitcher, he went 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA, and as a hitter, he batted .274 with 171 home runs, 437 RBIs, and a .922 OPS.
