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Dodgers resale ticket prices soar after Shohei Ohtani signing

Los Angeles Dodgers ticket prices have skyrocketed on the secondary market since the signing of two-time American League MVP Shohei Ohtani.

According to data released Tuesday by Logitix, the average ticket price for the Dodgers’ March 28 home opener against St. Louis has surged by 152% since last week, from $390.95 to $983.71 per ticket, before fees.

For other Dodgers regular season home games, the average ticket price has jumped from $171.67 to $295, or 71%, the ticketing technology company found.

The data was pulled from several major ticket exchanges and Logitix’s own sales. The company manages millions of tickets for professional and college sports and live events in the U.S.

Ohtani, one of Major League Baseball’s best hitters and pitchers, signed a record-setting 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers after leaving the crosstown L.A. Angels as a free agent.

The Japanese phenom led MLB in home runs this past season while also notching 10 wins with a 3.14 ERA as a starting pitcher. In September, he underwent elbow surgery that will prevent him from pitching in 2024.

“It’s been in Ohio as early as the mid-1850s at least, brought in as an ornamental plant because of its unique foliage and white flowers,” Gardner said. “It was actually planted in people’s landscaping, and it has been spreading.”

Shohei Ohtani throws during a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Anaheim, Calif., June 21, 2023. Ohtani agreed Saturday, Dec. 9, to a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

Ohtani will receive just $20 million of his $700 million contract with the Dodgers over the next decade, with $680 million payable from 2034-43.

The structure, which is reminiscent of the infamous contract the New York Mets gave Bobby Bonilla, gives the team greater payroll flexibility in coming seasons.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.