For Shohei Ohtani, it was all about the chance to compete for World Series titles.
For Shohei Ohtani, it was all about the chance to compete for World Series titles.
Flanked by Dodgers owner Mark Walter and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, MLB’s biggest star slipped into a No. 17 jersey and “LA” cap at a Dodger Stadium press conference Thursday.
The two-way Japanese star, recipient of a 10-year contract worth $700 million (with the vast majority of that total deferred), affirmed his commitment to winning as the largest factor in signing with the Dodgers and deferring most of his payout.
Under terms of the historic deal, the 29-year-old Ohtani will receive only $2 million annually, with the rest deferred.
“Usually when there’s a big contract in MLB I have heard in the past that deferrals are involved,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “Not all of the time, but a lot of the time. I was looking into it and did some calculations and figured if I could defer as much money as I can that is going to help the [competitive balance tax] and help the Dodgers sign better players and make a better team, I felt that was worth it.”
Under terms of the deal, Ohtani will receive $68 million annually from 2034-43.
