Shohei Ohtani Signs with D-backs Division Rival for $700M
Shohei Ohtani entered this winter as arguably the most coveted free agent in the history of Major League Baseball. A legitimate two-way star who can dominate the game as both a hitter and pitcher, winning two MVP awards in the last three seasons, the question was how big a contract would he get. That question was answered today, as the Los Angeles Dodgers just signed Ohtani to a record-shattering 10-year, $700 million contract.
Ohtani's $700 million easily eclipses the biggest free agent deal signed in MLB history, almost more than doubling the $360 million that Aaron Judge got to stay in New York last winter. He'll count for $70 million towards the luxury tax, almost certainly putting them over the line over the duration of the contract. He's recovering from an internal brace procedure to fix a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and might not pitch for the 2024 season.
Ohtani joins a lineup featuring Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who both finished in the Top 3 of the 2023 NL MVP race. Should these three hitters repeat their 2023 numbers, it would mark only the second time in MLB history that a team had three players with an adjusted OPS+ of 160 or greater. The only other team to do that was the 1963 San Francisco Giants, with Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Orlando Cepeda achieving the feat.
For the Diamondbacks, that means they will be battling baseball's biggest star for the next 10 years. Arizona has struggled to beat the Dodgers over the past four seasons, but got revenge in the National League Division Series with a very cathartic 3-0 sweep. Los Angeles is hoping that history doesn't repeat itself after back-to-back early playoff exits to teams in their division with Ohtani in the fold.
