Following his approval of an extraordinary contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, Shohei Ohtani will be departing the American League West.
Ohtani will now play in the NL West, where Los Angeles and Texas will square off in a single three-game series annually, instead of the AL West, where he previously saw the Texas Rangers in four games annually, according to the arrangement, which was revealed by Ohtani’s agent Nez Balelo.
The Rangers will have less of a threat from his previous team, the Los Angeles Angels, going forward as they aim to defend their first World Series championship by winning the AL West in its whole in 2024.
The Rangers apparently participated in the Ohtani derby early on, but they soon abandoned it in favor of pursuing other free agency targets. Getting Ohtani out of the AL West is the greatest option if he won’t be playing for Texas.
The deal is incredible, a reported 10-year, $700 million with significant salary deferrals on Ohtani’s part to give the Dodgers flexibility to pursue free agents to keep the team competitive. There are also no opt-outs in the contract.
His agreement follows a memorable Friday in which the baseball world was certain the free agent was going to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. The day included baseball reporters following a private plane on FlightAware that ended up belonging to “Shark Tank” star and businessman Robert Herjavec. Even though Ohtani won’t be pitching in 2024 due to his recuperation from a procedure to repair his ruptured UCL—the second such treatment he’s had in his MLB career—no player in baseball is like him. His representatives have informed all clubs that he plans to throw again in 2025, and he will be a designated hitter in 2024.
Ohtani led the American League in home runs with 44 at the end of 2023, finishing with a slash line of.304/.412/.654/1.066. He had a record of 10-5 as a pitcher with a 3.14 ERA, 167 strikeouts, and 55 walks.
In addition to his 2021 MVP honor and his 2018 AL Rookie of the Year title, he was named the American League MVP for the second time in November. In addition, he has been an All-Star three times, a Silver Slugger twice, and was in fourth place in the 2022 Cy Young vote.
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